The Dragon and the Sword
by The Benevolent Scriber
Summary: The desperate battle to destroy the greater grail takes an unexpected turn as Shirou and Saber are launched into a new world. Dragons, blights, religious zealots and annoying nobles. It just doesn't get any better does it? ShirouxSaber
1. The Shards of Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night or Dragon age.

**Chapter One: The Shards of Darkness**

The night over Fuyuki city was dark, the light pollution that normally lit up the sky and blinded the moon was being smothered. Miasmic clouds conjured by foul magics slithered across the sky ensnaring the stars above. Civilians below looked up, some in fascination, others in horror. Those old enough to remember had seen something similar ten years ago before the great fire had stricken the city.

Within the blackness of that storm a single lance of light pierced the maelstrom.

**"Avalon!"**

The shouted cry of two souls in need split the darkness that the corrupted grail of Fuyuki had cast over the city. Golden light rained down over the city bringing hope to all who saw it, whether they saw it as fireworks or some other less mundane miracle, all those that saw it were filled with the exalted feeling of hope.

The sheath of the holy sword Excalibur showered down on the dual users of Saber and Shirou granting them the concept of "The Ever Distant Utopia".

* * *

**"Enuma Elish!"**

Words declared from the golden king Gilgamesh of Uruk, and now King of Heroes unleashed the alien power that was Ea. The legendary weapon that was said to have separated the sky from the earth. A beam of rose tinted power surged towards Saber signalling her impending defeat.

Green eyes opened with formidable purpose and relief, the light of her sheath and greatest ideal showered down upon her granting the invulnerability that came with being ever distant to her enemies. Sweat prickled her brow as she readied herself against the incoming attack. This would be her last chance, she would have to devote everything to this and hold nothing back. Gilgamesh had to be defeated, for herself, the world and Shirou.

Placing her holy sword in a guard position across her body she met the attack head on. With an earth shattering crack Excalibur met the energy blast. Stepping into the attack, Saber cast it aside with a single powerful sweep of her blade. The rebounded energy reflected back in the direction of its original caster, surrounding Gilgamesh on all sides with three columns of energy.

Clutching Excalibur tightly in both hands she locked eyes on the monster of a man before her, a servant corrupted by the polluted grail of the fourth Holy Grail war. Finally their battle that started during the previous war would be ended. His silted red eyes narrowed on her, surprised at the light display moments ago and the seemingly contemptuous ease with which she dealt with his attack.

With not a moment to loose Saber bolted forward with a cry on her lips, this one blow would end it, he couldn't escape on either side or above. Everything would gamble on this single move. Discarding all defence and relying on Avalon entirely she dispelled her armour and focused all of her power into a prana burst. Launching herself across the distance between them with all the speed she could muster.

**"EX—"**

**"Enuma Eli-!"**

**"-CALIBUR!" **

The speed with which she struck the golden king was immense, shearing through his armour and chest in one fatal blow. Her blade Excalibur unleashing a small version of her main attack at close range to ensure Gilgamesh's defeat.

Gilgamesh gurgled in pain having felt the holy blade pass through his chest with incredible speed, far greater than he had expected from the weakened heroin. His eyes widened and then closed, his lips falling into a smirk as he realised the full depths of his Saber's power. Truly the one true untouchable unattainable treasure was Saber's real power.

"The utopia that kings are said to reach after their deaths." Saber's eyes widened under the shadow of her fringe, "The ultimate defense that repels even the Five Magics and allows no interference from others…"

"Is that your noble phantasm, the real power of your legendary holy sword?" blood poured from the sundered armour and his mouth. His hand reached forward and gently caressed Saber's cheek, too stunned to pull back Saber looked up into his scarlet silted eyes.

"You resist me to the very end." He smirked, "But I shall allow it! Some things are beautiful for the very reason that they are unattainable…"

Saber listened and watched as his form faded away, his words resounding within her. With no more time to think she sprinted off towards where she felt the Holy Grail was and Shirou.

* * *

Shirou Emiya gasped in relief, free from the bewitching corrupted mud produced by the festering grail all directed by his enemy. His circuits burned as he regained focus and glared across at his opponent Kirei Kotomine. The exalted feeling of Avalon faded leaving him bereft of the reminder of the woman he loved.

"P-Projection magic?" Kotomine questioned, stunned that such an inferior magus could free himself from the clutches of the polluted grail's curses.

With no time to loose Shirou performed what physical enhancement he could and charged across the distance between them.

Kotomine by no means made it easy for him to close the distance, slinging corrupted mud like demented fire balls, filling the air between them. Shirou pushed his reinforcement even further he nimbly dodged around the disgusting attacks.

"KOTOMINE! DIE!" screamed Shirou, his eyes locked on the man as he dodged the last cursed fireball.

Clutching Tohsaka's dagger in his right hand he deftly darted forward thrusting the dagger directly into Kotomine's black heart. The blade squelched as it pierced the soft tissues between the rotten man's ribs.

"Uraggh!" Kotomine eyes widened in horror, he had never imagined the Emiya boy could be so _fast._

Shirou clenched his left hand filling it with prana as he swung for the dagger hilt. Shirou shouted the activation incantation of the Azoth dagger.

**"läßt"**

The explosion of Tohsaka's magical energy built up within the dagger tore apart the man's body turning it into naught but shreds. His startled pained eyes fading from Shirou's sight in a blast of white purifying light.

He grasped Illyasviel's small form from the polluted grail's stinking energy, her nude form rested peacefully into his waiting arms.

Shirou had no time to celebrate as Saber resplendent only in her dress arrived striding towards the writhing rift of polluted energy that was the greater grail.

* * *

"I will destroy the Holy Grail."

The declaration came easily from her mouth and told nothing of her internal conflict. Doing this would separate her from Shirou. For the first time in her long life she had met someone that she could relate to….someone that she could love. The thought of leaving him was tearing her up, she didn't know if she could do as she had so confidently declared.

Her face remained stoic as she strode forward placing herself between the grail and Shirou, with her back to him he could not see her shining eyes.

"Master, your order." She asked tonelessly, "I cannot destroy it unless you order me to."

It was a cruel fate to be placed in this position twice with an Emiya, the first time unwilling, the second also unwilling but for reasons that could not be more in opposition.

She silently pleaded with Shirou to bolster her resolve with the command seal, she wasn't sure she could do it otherwise.

"Please use your last command seal" she intoned softly, revealing a hint of her internal strife.

She could feel the hesitance from him almost like a physical feeling, he was equally reluctant she knew but she needed his strength now more than ever.

"Shirou. Please let me hear you say it" she turned to look him in the eye, her face once again composed into a stoic mask.

Shirou's eyes closed to her and he seemed to focus inward; she turned back towards the grail content that he would understand her and her need.

"Saber, please fulfill your duty." The intoned formal statement came from the person she loved most, it cost him as dearly as it did her. He truly did understand.

The compulsion of the command seal activated strengthening her resolve and power. She clasped Excalibur before her and charged her power within it. The blade lit up like the sun a true purifying holy light, focusing inward she raised the blade above her and gathered more energy, small lights began to flood the area as she charged her attack.

With a single utterance of exertion she struck down with her blade pouring the attack like a surging lance directly into the grail. Her thoughts at that moment were of relief but also of great sadness, she accepted their parting and that she could do nothing more for her people, not anymore.

The grail exploded into a blast of light far greater than the last time she had performed the same act. It expanded rapidly, surging towards herself and Shirou seeking to envelop them. _Shirou…!_ She turned trying to reach Shirou before the blast. Their hands brushed her eyes desperate to reach him.

_Saber!_ He struggled for Saber's hand as he clutched Illyasviel closer to himself, trying to shield her small body from the blast.

Their hands met, and the last thing they saw were the shards of darkness scattering through the light as all went black.

**Authors note:**

First time I've written fanfiction I've written some before but never uploaded for public view, it was mostly for my own interest. But this plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone and I wanted to know what people thought of it. It's a short snippet but I wanted to know what people would think of the style.

Yes I choose Fate true ending for Shirou as UBWs is just so over used that it's not even funny. Fate Shirou is very powerful in his own way he can project a perfect copy of Avalon arguable the most OP item in the entire Nasu verse. His connection to Saber is also unique allowing Avalon to be used by both of them in unison. Both of them are also caught up in doing the right thing and their duty that I can't help but feel for them.

I wanted to do this intro chapter in depth and not just brush off the last few moments of Fate as they are very important to the shaping of their respective characters.

Saber always seemed so strong and business like in the anime I wanted to portray that her outwards resolve was but a mask especially in that last scene.

I wrote this scene from Saber's perspective because we all know what Shirou is thinking during this scene and his resolve to do right by Saber no matter the personal cost to himself.

Illyasviel may well survive if they get her to a healer, but she will never be the same not after her experience with the grail her body will be weakened even if she survives and will need a healer "nurse" aid her ailing body. As to how long she might live that's up for debate. I want some opinions on this honestly.

This is just a pilot chapter I haven't thought about where they will end up in Thedas or when. Perhaps some suggestions. I want to thrash out a proper plot before I continue. Lothering long a couple of years before the blight? Kirkwall? Hell even Orlais, this will not follow canon to any realistic degree it's not about the Hero of Fereldan or the Inquisitor or Hawke. I'll be using my own personal versions of the heroes in this fic. They are important but they are not the main focus.

Also I have plans for Shirou and his language barrier, Thedas will speak English or "the common tongue" Saber will have to centre stage in interaction with people and in teaching Shirou her language. No Spontaneous "Oh I can talk to these people randomly" in this fic. POV will switch back and forth between Shirou and Saber granting us separate points of view on issues.

I'm considering how Excalibur would match up against an Archdemon and wondering if it might be effective. It can destroy corrupted grails filled with all of humanities evil….doesn't that sound like the blight? The physical representation of humanities hubris? Somehow I would believe that it would make sense for the crystallised hope of victory and glory of humanity to be able to destroy the corrupt dragon or at the very least wound it in some permanent fashion. Again I would like some opinions in reviews :p

Anyway chiao for now!


	2. A Whole New World of Problems

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night or Dragon age.

**Chapter Two: A Whole New World of Problems**

Shirou awoke with a gasp, his eyes opening to blinding light before closing instinctively. Opening them again after a few moments he took in his surroundings. Saber and Illya rested not even a hands span away from him both unconscious. They were in a field of what he could tell was wheat, the ploughing was roughly done not at all like the precision work of the modern era. There was a perfectly round circle of wheat mowed down surrounding them where they lay. The wheat was pushed back in a perfectly symmetrical pattern with himself and his companions at the center of it. It seemed they had somehow been transported out to the middle of nowhere…Second Magic but that couldn't be possible…could it?

Saber rested near him his hand still gripped fiercely in his own, her face was fraught with concern and worry. Her dress was ripped and damaged along the hem and parts of the sleeves were also torn. Shirou couldn't believe what he was seeing how was Saber still here? She should have disappeared with his final use of the command seal. Whatever the reason he couldn't help but praise whatever god, goddess or deity was responsible.

Looking to his immediate left and spied Illya's silver hair splayed out about her head like a halo of some child-like deity; her expression was one of peace and serenity as she slowly breathed in and out. The dark circles around her eyes belied her peace however signalling either profound exhaustion or some other malign insidious cause.

"Saber?" he questioned as he sat up, his voice was indistinct to his ears, "What happened?"

Saber's eyes sprang open in either concern or surprise, he was still a bit too woozy himself to be able to tell which. She quickly took stock of her surroundings her eyes sharpened as she fully roused herself to a standing start. He could tell she was pushing herself to react as quickly as possible for his sake and Illya's.

"Shirou...I…I'm still here?" she stated with both wonder and concern, her eyes narrowed was the grail truly destroyed? She should have dispelled the second the supporting presence of the grail was ended.

"The grail it was destroyed right? You struck it using the power of the command seal, it has to have been destroyed!" Shirou paused and tried to recall his last few moments consciousness before everything whited out, "No…the grail was destroyed, it exploded and we…we were consumed in the explosion."

Saber agreed they had succeeded but she hadn't expected quite such an explosive reaction, she had poured enough power into her attack that it should have been completely annihilated. Her eyes narrowed as she analysed her surroundings. If she didn't know better she would swear she was back home in Britain in some poor farmer's wind scoured field. How they had been transported started ringing alarm bells in her mind, this could mean any number of things if something as powerful as the second magic was involved.

"We can figure out the specifics later Saber, its getting dark we need to find some place to stay, Illya needs shelter and when she wakes up food." Shirou curled his arms around Illya's small frame and lifted her up with him as he stood. Saber nodded and moved quickly through the field using her sharp eyes to look for a nearby home, a farmers field needed a farm house, she imagined it should be nearby.

Cresting the hill her stomach dropped…she had spotted the farmhouse and it wasn't what she was expecting. A small thatched building of wooden construction with white wall colouring, perhaps they liked old style building construction she reassured herself. Regardless it eerily reminded her of Camelot and the surrounding farms and villages she had been responsible for as King of the Britons. The distant city illuminated by the sunset also made the tight feeling that had slowly released itself return with a vengeance…were those walls?

"Saber?" Shirou settled alongside her with Illya resting in his arms his eyes found the farmhouse and frowned…it seemed rustic and western in design to his eyes. Looking off in the distance he could see what could only be described as a large city, it was far too distant for him to make out any details other than the large citadel and walls that surrounded the city. A stone settled in his gut…this wasn't just a western land it certainly wasn't modern whatever it was.

"Oh…"

"Shirou…are we in the past?"

"….Kami I hope not…they don't have flushing toilets!"

Saber winced. She herself had grown used to the luxury of the future she really did love everything about modern life…toilets…toilet paper…baths whenever she wished…pure running water...lovely food. She almost visibly shuddered at the thought of having to return to that level she truly was spoiled for her time in the future. Setting her face into a resolute stoic mask she strode down the hill ready to confront whatever reality wanted to throw at herself and Shirou next. There was still some remote chance that this was in fact some grand amusement park devoted to the way of life and architecture of the medieval era. Silently she pleaded that this was the case even as she got closer to the farmhouse the chances of that grew more and more remote with each passing step as more and more detail became apparent.

Shirou sighed as he watched as Saber confidently walked down the hill to confront whatever might meet them. She was always so determined and fearless. He watched mesmerized as her royal blue dress swayed and scintillated in the light of the sunset. He started after her as he suddenly remembered he should be following her. A light smile crossed his face, whatever happened Saber was still with him and he could be content with whatever happened as long as she was with him.

Saber confronted the wooden planked door to the farmhouse it was rustic and solid looking, well made enough to even keep out an attack from a small battering ram. Placing her knuckles against the door she knocked on the door with a perfectly composed expression.

The door opened and whatever hope she had of this being some elaborate fantasy was shattered, the man that opened the door smelled something fierce. The strong smell of animals and body odour radiated from him. The obvious lack of light fittings or modern appliances behind the man also told her all she needed to know. They were in the past or in some world that hadn't yet progressed to the same level as earth.

He was an older aged man with a heavily lined face, he was missing a few yellowed teeth. Saber was glad she was not so close as to smell his what was sure to be rancid breath. He grasped a long knife in his right hand.

"What'd ya doin ere? There aint nothin yeh can steal here yeh hear!" his gravelly voice sounded like broken glass being gargled. But one thing confirmed some of her suspicions he was speaking English…or at least an older version of it.

"Good evening kind sir, might you give us directions to where we might find a place to stay for the night?" the old man eyeballed her with a sharp look trying to discern her intentions, he looked past her at Shirou who came to stand behind her.

"Ee looks strange that one, is Ee an Antivan or somethin?"

"Yes my companion is an Antivan. We are in great need of a place to stay for the night, the young girl, our companion is ill and needs bed and rest." She kept her voice even yet let some of her desperation out, she was not above subtle manipulation if absolutely necessary. They needed a place to stay and regroup but they also needed a source of information this man might serve all these needs. The weathered man locked his eyes on the "young" girl and his gaze softened.

"Hmmph, I can put yeh up for the night yer ladyship but yeh got to get gone tomorrow as am goin in ta the city." He pulled the door backwards allowing them inside his humble home. He watched them like a hawk as the entered his home. Saber felt relief at the very least Illya wouldn't have to endure a night outside in the cold after her experience with the grail. She was grateful to this man; he was noble in nature even if he was wary. If she was correct and this era was as she suspected this risk taking gentleman would be the exception not the norm outside of nobility. She would have to find some way of repaying him for his charity.

Shirou watched the conversation in dread not only was it possible that they were in some distant era of history but his grasp of the language being spoken was limited at best. The old mans' broken English was even harder to puzzle out for him than Saber's regal tones. He followed Saber into the living room and stood by her shoulder as she took a seat by the fire. He laid Illya by the fire and searched for something soft to lay under her head.

The old man plodded into the room clutching a wooden plate with some old-ish looking bread and cheese.

"Here have this, it's all I can spare yeh, and my name is Harlen by the way just so you know" he grumbled then offered the plate to Saber who graciously accepted the gift of food. Saber tore off some bread and cheese and offered it to Shirou. He took it with whispered thanks and turned back to Illya and thinking about their situation. She then took some for herself and offered it back to the old man. Harlen waved her off shaking his head as he settled back down into an old and uncomfortable looking chair. He watched them both closely, to his eyes they acted right weird, the noble lady offering food to her manservant before taking any herself? And their clothes she wore something that might be fit for a queen, fine royal blue velvet with gold fittings. The young manservant though wore some strange form of long sleeve tunic made of a material he couldn't recognize…maybe some kind of foreign produce.

"Harlen we have some questions we've traveled from a distant land and have found ourselves here quite by accident. Could you tell us the name of this land?" Was the polite question that came from Saber in her stately tones. To Harlen it was a strange question they were a fair ways inland and it didn't look like they had come from a shipwreck. Regardless of the oddness of the question he answered.

"This be Fereldan under the good King Cailan and his Queen Anora, tis a wet land, with good fertile lands for farming." His response caused a myriad of odd expressions to cross the lady's face, a few spoken words in an odd language to her manservant and his expression also fell. Near as he could tell both seemed to be inwardly distressed at the news.

"I'm afraid we don't know where that is…what continent is this?" came the next question. What continent? Were they serious, not having this poor old man on were they? Nope their faces seemed particularly intent on his answer, it seemed they were dead serious.

"Continent?…Well that's a strange question this here is Thedas of course…now where might you two have come from to be asking such strange questions as those?" The lady's eyes widened she murmured in that strange language again to her companion. His eyes narrowed trying to discern if there was some foul play at work. Near as he could tell they seemed quite innocent in their questioning.

Saber glanced at Shirou, they most certainly were not in some amusement park devoted to the life like portrayal of the medieval era. Shirou's muttered response just about summed it up.

"Well shit…."

**Author's Note:**

This chapter is a bit longer than the last. I will keep updating around about this size of chapter, I honestly hate stories that keep releasing massive chapters it means I end up spending nearly a whole day reading =_=.

Anyway Shirou and Saber have confronted the reality of their new situation and Shirou quite handily sums it up.

I'm grappling with the plot right now so you might see another chapter before they slow down a little bit as I begin planning in earnest.

**Spoiler:**

Next chapter will see Saber travel into town with Harlen to investigate. Shirou will also experiment with his magecraft in an attempt to help awaken Illya who remains comatose.


	3. A Capital Trip And Magical Meandering

Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night or Dragon age.

**Chapter Three: A Capital Trip And Magical Meandering**

The morning greeted them with fowl smells and the soaring rays of their first dawn in a new world. Shirou wasn't particularly fond of the sore back he had developed by sleeping on a cold floor all night, but at the very least he was dry. He had persuaded Saber to take the only blanket Harlen offered, likely the only one he had other than his own. Illya they placed on the "guests" bed, a small ragged thing that looked like it had seen far better years, but at least she could be comfortable for the night.

Last night had been very interesting, after the initial revelation that they were no longer on their home planet or maybe even their home universe they carefully grilled the old man Harlen who turned out to be a veritable fount of general information. Slowly they built up a basic view of this new world and it wasn't pretty.

Wars, persecution, slavery, religious zealotry, corrupt nobles lording over the poor and that wasn't even the worst part. Blights. From what Harlen had told them, after he had stopped looking at them like they had grown two heads, was some kind of apocalyptic event that would occur every hundred to thousand years where the land would be swept over by a tide of devilish evil creatures called Darkspawn, so called manifestations of "humanities hubris" or at least that's what the main religious figures believed, all led by a corrupted dragon. The worst part was casualties from these events seemed to be counted in _civilisations_ not in men or women. It was with some surprise that they learned that this world had multiple intelligent races inhabiting it, with everything from elves and dwarves to the strange "Qunari" creatures.

The last and likely the most important issue was magic and its current state here. Mages were persecuted and feared for their powers most of them would spend their entire lives living in sanctioned towers guarded by the Templars, a militant order of the Chantry, this world's version of the church. Shirou couldn't really blame them to some degree considering if things like the Holy Grail, and the war that went with it, which were the norm for earth magi were also common amongst this world's mages. That didn't mean he agreed with locking _all_ of them away, good and bad out of blind fear, he couldn't see that status quo lasting for very long and the chantry were fools to think they could maintain it forever.

It also had some important implications for themselves as well, if their magic was seen it would be recognised as such and wouldn't be so easily explained away as a "gas explosion". This world was alert to the existence of magic, they would have to be far more careful than if they were back home, there they could rely on the denial of fantastic truths. That and copious amounts of memory alteration which he had no talent in whatsoever.

They had decided that Saber with her superior grasp of the local language would travel into the city, they now knew it was called Denerim the capital of Fereldan. They needed more information, means and a place to stay. This was a one-time deal from Harlen and it was very unlikely that they could impose on him a second time. They had decided to rendezvous just outside of the city at a small lake with a deep covering of trees, it would provide enough cover for what Shirou had planned. Illya needed to wake and he had a feeling that it would be a while before she woke unless he and Saber took direct action.

Saber threw a rough piece of cloth over her head and shoulders covering her striking dress like a cloak. It would help to avoid undue attention from various factions that they simply weren't in a good situation to deal with, whether they be chantry or nobles. Harlen had kindly agreed to give them a ride for part the way into the city, they would be on their own after that as he had better things to do like making his living.

Shirou lifted Illya once again and proceeded out the door of the small farm house, Saber following close behind. The old man was already up and about hobbling around collecting his meager produce for the trip into town. He planted the last sack of wheat in the back of his cart before he motioned gruffly to the back of the vehicle. The horse started nodding its head as Saber came closer to it, she smiled and stroked the hard working animal's nose. She stepped up on the back of the cart and helped Shirou aboard. It wasn't a moment before they were off leaving the humble farm behind for the big city.

"Saber before you go into the city I need your help with something, Illya still hasn't woken and I'm concerned, she could be injured internally where we wouldn't notice" he spoke in a low voice, hoping to avoid spooking Harlen with his use of a foreign language, his gaze fixed on Saber's green eyes. She seemed to understand after a moment exactly what he was hoping to do.

"You wish to trace Avalon again…it should be more than enough to help repair what damage there is, but why not use the real one?" she asked in confusion, her mouth pursed cutely.

"I don't want you unprotected in the city, you have no idea of what situation you could end up in intentionally or not" his gaze was resolute and completely unyielding, it seemed she realized that he had learned a few things from her, her cheeks pinked slightly.

"Very well but it will cause a significant drain on our reserves to project it again, you realize that doing so could be just as dangerous?" she accepted his reasoning grudgingly, she still felt that her skills were more than enough to face any enemy here without the added advantage of Avalon.

He agreed projecting Avalon had been the hardest magic he had ever preformed and that was with Saber's help included. He watched closely as the scenery passed by at a slow pace, more farms, fields and the odd windmill dotted the landscape. Looking ahead he saw the walls of Denerim approach slowly. He still couldn't believe they were in a completely different world, it was so…_alien _to his senses, every few moments he would catch a whiff of something new whether it was a hint of alien magic or just another disgusting smell was up for debate however.

"Saber this is our stop" the rendezvous point they had chosen was coming up on the right hand side. Shirou carefully stepped off the cart with Illya securely in his arms.

"Harlen, our many thanks for your kind act, I will seek you out in the future to properly repay your actions!" declared Saber as she nimbly stepped off the cart, her eyes found the back of the grumpy old man as he waved them off glancing back slightly.

"Just keep yerself safe yer ladyship" Saber smiled that had to be the nicest thing he had said to her so far.

They stepped over the ditch carefully and made their way through the dense undergrowth into the treeline. It took them a few moments before they entered into the clearing near the lake. There was plenty of cover here to perform his magecraft, he noted thankfully, it wouldn't do to get caught by these Templars they had heard about.

Shirou lay Illya down on the softest piece of grass he could find and looked over at Saber. Her eyes found his own and smiled, taking his hand with her own smaller one. He smiled and began to concentrate.

"Trace on" his circuits came to life for the first time in a new world.

He concentrated on the image of Avalon the ever distant utopia, Saber's prized dream. He could feel Saber's hand tighten on his own as she also shared in the effort of making the image as perfect as possible.

What happened next almost surprised Shirou enough to break his concentration. It was…._easy_. The drain on his reserves and Saber's was far less than he expected for this level of noble phantasm. It was almost like all the wasted prana he would normally use preventing the construct from being instantly crushed by the will of the planet was simply…unneeded. To his untrained senses it felt like there wasn't anything like Gaia in this world…that was concerning and certainly food for thought.

The golden light that appeared in their linked hands solidified into a perfect copy of the sheath of the legendary sword Excalibur. Saber was also stunned at the total lack of resistance they had experienced. To her this also started ringing alarm bells, if there was no will of the planet resisting changes then that meant either this world never had one which was unlikely…or it was dead or something else had happened to it.

"Did you feel that…it was so _easy_ we wasted nearly no prana in its creation" Shirou's awed voice snapped Saber out of her dark thoughts.

She nodded, her face turned pensive as she considered the possibilities, none of them were good by any stretch of the imagination and she was sure it was somehow connected with this Blight that periodically consumed the world. Regardless she had to place the sheath within Illya. They could consider this and its implications later.

She took the sheath in two hands and pressed the tip to Illya's chest closing her eyes she concentrated. The scabbard dissolved in motes of light as it slowly descended into the young girl's body. It wasn't but a moment before Illya started taking deeper longer breaths, she had entered into a safer sleep then rather than the coma like state she was in before.

"Shirou we will have to talk about this later, but I fear it has far more implications that we are currently aware of" her gaze was sober and Shirou felt the onset of yet another crazy series of events, he could only hope they would be less painful. "I will return before sun down, hopefully with accommodation at the local inn."

"Wait Saber take this" he focused on his magecraft and projected a simple nondescript longsword and sheath, it still amazed him how easy it was to do that. "Just so you don't have to manifest Excalibur out in the open, you could also sell it considering it seems it won't disappear any time soon"

Saber acknowledged the gift but felt leery at thought of selling a "fake" weapon to an honest merchant, she belted on the simple weapon and started for the city. Shirou watched her go still rather unsure how to take the events that had just occurred. Should he be happy his magecraft was far easier to use in this world or did it mean something was dreadfully wrong here?

* * *

As she walked under the massive gates of the outer walls Saber still couldn't come to terms with the fact that they were somehow in another world entirely, a far less advanced one at that. The stink that was wafting out of Denerim was horrific, the smell of excrement and decomposition of either dead animals or people was very apparent to her spoiled nose. In the future everything had been so clean and organized, exactly the way she liked it.

Denerim it seemed, as she traveled further into the city, was a festering wound of a city. Everywhere she looked she could see the unfortunates and homeless being ignored or just plain chased off. Camelot in comparison was a veritable bastion of cleanliness with some of the best infrastructure of its age, that's not to say it was perfect it had its own fair share of problems…mostly its leadership she thought sadly.

She entered the main market place of the city and was presented with an image that wouldn't have been out of place back in her own time, peddlers and merchants selling their wears and produce to the public as they went about their daily shopping. She could see a few "nobles" or at least rich commoners perusing some of the higher class jewellery on display.

To her left she almost missed the church-like looking temple; that had to be a chantry she thought, its iconography emblazoning the setting sun above was very striking to her eyes. Looking more closely she noticed a notice board dotted with small notes and requests. Some were simple pleas for help others seemed to take the form of bounties for problems needing solved. Her eyes widened this was exactly what she needed, she could do some good for someone while getting the money she needed for the inn!

Looking for one that would match her needs, she saw that someone had put out a bounty on a local gang in slums of the city. She looked closely it didn't look like it had been penned by a noble, it would have been far neater. The gentleman that had posted it seemed to have been having problems with the local gang of miscreants demanding money from his shop for protection, the city guard had done little to nothing to stop or even dissuade the bandits. He was offering what she guessed was a modest sum of thirty silvers for someone to teach them a lesson. It didn't seem like he wanted them dead just strongly pushed to leave himself and his business alone.

Saber smiled that matched her needs exactly. The merchant went by the name Ecklebert and his shop was in the harbour district, it took a few moments to orientate herself. On the way she travelled through the alienage it was truly awful. The elves it seemed had been forced to live in close quarters separated from the rest of the city by their own walls and gates. They seemed a wary people giving her a wide berth as she walked by. The elves didn't seem to be an innately magical people as she expected, more or less they just came across as short pointy eared humans, she almost felt disappointed. Regardless the state of their accommodations were atrocious, living in such close quarters with poor drainage it was a pandemic waiting to happen.

Asking for directions to Ecklebert's shop was met with minimal success until she reached the harbour district where it seemed he was a little bit better known. His shop it seemed traded in fine materials like silks from Antiva that would come in on docked ships.

His shop was well looked after and seemed to be in good condition, the man himself was a short younger man with a sad attempt at a beard wrapped around his face. His eyes were a dark brown with dark skin, it seemed he himself might be foreign to these parts, perhaps why he was having trouble with the locals? He was dressed in a practical garb made from less extravagant materials than she expected. Overall he cut an interesting figure if not for the tired rather stressed look on his face, he stood up to greet her.

"Good morning…." He took in her appearance and his face slowly progressed towards dread, "Look I've said it before I won't pay you thugs a damn copper! I'll call the city guard!"

"You must be Ecklebert, I apologise good sir I did not intend to startle you, I am here regarding your message at the chantry, and at least I think I have the correct place." Saber placated the man by pulling her hood down.

His eyes seemed to widen slightly at her appearance she could swear he had stars in his eyes, "Oh…I'm sorry…I didn't expect a lady such as yourself would take up my insignificant problems! I apologise for my earlier words!"

Saber smiled slightly at his complete turnabout in approach, it seemed the man had been under quite a bit of stress for due to his issues with the local gang.

"Apology accepted, now I would like to know a little bit more about these criminals you have been having trouble with." Hoping for more information to make this pass as quickly as possible, she didn't want to spend all day searching for miscreants after all.

"Of course..of course! Might I first offer you some water you look tired?" he bustled into the back room and returned with a small cup of what looked like clean water. Saber gratefully took the offered drink.

"Yes, the local Wendrose boys and their palls have been shaking down businesses lately and because they are from a minor disgraced noble family they can get away with it, the guards avoid them because of absurd threats of political retaliation!"

Saber frowned such behavior was unacceptable by anyone's definition, how the guards were so foolish as to let this continue was beyond her…or were the guards taking a cut as well? Regardless it seemed that this gentleman was safe from any kind of retaliation after she dealt with them.

"Do you have any idea where they usually haunt? Perhaps a local pub or inn?" she questioned.

"That damned hellhole "The Pearl" is their favourite at the moment, it's a den of debauchery like any you would find in a big city." He looked rather disgusted with the place in question if his expression were anything to go by.

"I thank you, I should be back soon with some evidence that I have dealt with them" she assured the man.

"My pleasure my lady you don't know how much you've help the merchants of the harbour district! But please be careful though!"

* * *

The pearl was about as bad as Ecklebert had said, the smell of sex was pungent on the air as she stepped through the doorway. He face set into a stoic mask as she stomped down the hallway. The hall opened out into a main area with tables, chairs and a bar. Behind a closed door she could here the distant moans and cries of both customers and workers plying their trade. There were quite a few patrons in today it seemed.

Stomping up to the bar, she pinned the man behind it with a glare so powerful he nearly dropped the cup he was wiping half-heartedly.

"You will tell me where the Wendrose miscreants and their gang are now!" she punctuated her statement with a pointed finger and a narrowing of her eyes. Before the man could utter a word a rough voice called out to the right.

"Ohie, You what you talkin about us for then, trying to stir up trouble? It better not be that ponse from that silk shop setting somethin up!" Several men stood up from the bar tables nearby. Saber couldn't believe her luck here they were for their immediate disciplining! They were armed with clubs maces and short daggers, a motelier gang she was unlikely to find. They wore no armour to speak of and likely relied on fear of violence to squeeze money out of the local merchants.

Saber pulled Shirou's projected longsword from her side ready for the inevitable confrontation.

"You will stay away from the local businesses in the future, please make this easy and lay down your weapons, that way I won't have to hurt you too much" she stated with absolute confidence looking each of them in the eye, her stance and form were perfectly still and ready.

"Hey…umm she looks serious Kev do we really want to..." the short club wielding gang member looked like he was about to bolt he was about her size wearing a rough brown tunic.

"Shut yer hole, she's just one little girl, not for one second am I gonna back down from that!" the one at the front and the tallest he wielded a heavy looking steel mace.

"Very well then, make your move" her focus didn't slip for one second, even if they were vastly inferior in skills it wouldn't do to be arrogant.

Kev charged with a yell swinging his heavy mace directly down at her head, with minimal effort she leaned to the side as the weapon missed by a small fraction. She stepped into his after-swing and slammed the heavy pommel of her sword into right side of his face. He flew into a nearby tabled smashing it into pieces. The one named "Kev" half rose before a small foot came down on his neck with all the brutality of a veteran warrior knocking him out fully.

The others came quickly thinking to overwhelm her. She dodged or parried their attacks with little difficulty, it was honestly embarrassing that the merchants of the harbour district had been suffering under these buffoons for any length of time. Her cloak came free on a blow as she spun presenting her resplendent blue dress to the surrounding pub, there was a response of chattering voices. Swinging the flat of her blade with precision she proceeded to make hammer blows on any of the thugs that came close enough, not even bothering to entertain the notion of a fair fight.

"Ooouhh…" many it seemed were stunned by her dress sense.

"She's really good" came an impressed female voice.

"Never seen her around before…"

The grunts and cries of the gang members slowly decreased as she beat each member down into the ground until there was only one left. The one that had originally questioned taking on the small woman was shaking in his boots, his club resting forgotten in his fingers as he stared in horror at the systematic destruction of their gang. The club slipped from his grasp as he made to bolt for the door.

Saber ever deft grabbed a nearby empty bottle and swung it with as much strength as she felt safe with. The bottle broke with a crash over cowards head as he dropped to the ground unconscious.

There was a pause as everyone was quiet before a slow clap started up. After that the bar seemed to go back to business, as usual as the bar man shook his head in exasperation.

"Impressive, where did you learn to fight like that little lady?" a dark skinned woman approached, her forehead covered with a blue patterned bandana. She cut a voluptuous figure as the sauntered towards Saber. She was wearing leather armour with black stylized boots and vambraces.

"Isabella's the name and cards are my game." The winning smile Saber recognized was very well practiced, but there seemed to be a hint of genuine interest beneath it.

"Thank you, my name is…" she realised she really had no need to continue using the title the grail had given her, but wasn't quite ready to use her true name, "…Saber"

"Hmph, well come around sometime again and we can play a round or two" the woman breezed past her and out the door, stepping over the poor fool who had tried to flee along the way.

Saber thought for a few moments, it was unlikely that this gang would exist at the end of the day after this brutal humiliation, she doubted the merchants would have any more trouble with them. She bent down and removed the small plain ring on "Kev's" finger, it was emblazoned with a large "W" she supposed this would be sufficient evidence of her completion of the job.

She paused a moment then removed her sword and placed it on the counter, "For the damages" and followed the dark skinned woman out of the inn.

* * *

Having returned to Ecklebert's and received her reward of thirty silver she set about purchasing essentials for herself, Shirou and Illya. It would also be likely they would need to acquire local clothes in an effort to blend in. She couldn't continue to wear her manifested dress that was certain.

Purchasing a single two bedroom room for the next week at the Gnawed Noble Tavern depleted her earned funds almost completely leaving only fourteen silvers left. She would need to do some more work tomorrow and she supposed if Illya was well enough Shirou would also accompany her.

The sun was getting lower in the sky, it was about time she returned to Shirou and Illya, hopefully the girl had risen by now it would be most concerning should even the power of Avalon be unable to wake her.

* * *

Shirou had spent most of the day experimenting with his magecraft, he had found that his ability to project the various noble phantasms wasn't impeded at all, projecting weapons like Caliburn came far more easily than they had before. It had been some time and he was expecting Saber to return soon with news. The sun was beginning to fall in the sky when Illya finally decided to wake up.

"Onii-chan?" was the bleary question that ghosted over the clearing. Her rose coloured eyes blinking open for the first time in a day. She groaned slightly, wincing at some internal pain.

"Illya! Thank goodness your awake, we were worried." His eyes examining her face and movements, taking her hand in his own. She seemed tired but not ill thankfully. A sudden rumbling like a roaring lion sounded from Illya's abdomen.

"…Muuu I'm so hungry" was the childlike response, with those bright rose coloured eyes fixed on him, Shirou could only laugh with joy in response. It seemed she would be fine for her experience with the grail. She pulled the cover concealing her nakedness tighter around herself feeling cold out in the wilderness.

"Don't worry Saber should be back soon, she might even bring some food" Shirou felt that explanations could wait until she had some food in her…and some clothes on her.

It wasn't long before Saber arrived, she looked tired and her brown cloak had been slightly torn, not only that but the weapon her gave her was also missing. She carried a small sack of what he guessed was food. Illya looked pleased to see her if not the food, even if she didn't quite understand what was currently going on.

"Saber any luck finding a place? Wait…what happened, you look like you've been in a fight?" he didn't doubt the woman that he loved, but he had hoped they could find a place to take stock and rest without engaging in more fighting.

"Nothing to worry about Shirou, I managed to get some money and a place to stay as well", her eyes landed on Illya, "Illya your awake I'm so glad" her eyes lifted up in a genuine smile of relief, she gave the silver haired little magus some bread, ham and cheese which was promptly devoured. She pulled out a small child sized dress and some shoes for Illya, she really did think of everything it seemed.

"Follow me to the city, I managed to get us accommodation at a local inn named 'the Gnawed Noble Tavern' in the market district, it's a long walk but we should get there before nightfall." She looked quite tired at the thought of more walking, it had been quite an emotionally draining day for her being confronted with all of the suffering within the city.

Shirou took the sack of food from her and went down on one knee, "Here Illya, climb up and I'll carry you into town, your still quite weak"

"Okay onii-chan!" Illya gleefully agreed, any chance to get a ride with her onii-chan was one to be seized with both hands. Her rose coloured eyes closed with joy as she rested her chin on his shoulder with a self-satisfied sigh. She still wondered about where they were but she guessed they would tell her all about it soon, she was content for now though.

Saber led the way though the forest on onwards to Denerim and Shirou supposed their new life.

**Authors Note:**

I said I would stick to smaller chapters to preserve my sanity but this one just decided to start sucking on my brain like some horrible Cthulhu monster it just wouldn't stop getting larger. *Cries anime tears*

Anyway that's the gang off to the city to get situated. Illya's awake and contentedly ignorant of the situation for now. I'm sure she will get stuck into things next chapters as she investigates some of the new elements of this world in detail. Saber has to confront the reality of her new life and that she isn't going to disappear any time soon. And Shirou is confronted with several situations he had never expected he would have to face at the age of eighteen.

I might be doing a short time skip of a few months or so to see how our heroes are settling in. If anyone has some suggestions it's the fruit of creativity to share them :3 so please do.

Edit: Revised punctuation hopefully I will get the others done as well.


	4. I Hate Spiders Shirou!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age or Fate Stay Night.**

**Chapter Four: I Hate Spiders Shirou!**

**_Three Months Later:_**

The air was frigid deep down in this dark cave; one of many that dotted inland Fereldan some of which were used as lairs for fell beasts of all stripes. But this one in particular it seemed was home to one very particular set of beasts. Their breath was visible to both Shiou and Saber as they tried to breathe as quietly as possible. Shirou was dressed in light leather armour coloured a dark wine red with black vambraces, recently purchased from Wade's emporium the local armour merchant in Denerim, he didn't feel confident at relying on traced armour for any length of time. At his back hip were a collection of arrows separated into different holsters. Saber herself was fully geared in her fully manifested armour her blue battle-dress fully repaired.

"Shirou..." she whispered, her eyes were flat as she observed the dank web covered lair they had the unfortunate job of clearing out.

"Yes?"

**"**I hate spiders…"

"Oh…"

It was at that moment a truly monstrous spider, the size of a small car back home chose to launch itself from the dark shadows of the cave wall at their position. Its horrific multitude of eyes and goo dripping fangs a vile sight to be sure. Saber reacted instantly, Excalibur manifested in her hands, still sheathed by its invisible air, and met the Spider mid charge. With a crash they met in a tangling of shrouded steel meeting sharp claw and fang.

"Trace on!"

Shirou muttered his aria as he hopped backwards and brought up his sylvan-wood bow. Drawing back the string a glow manifested as he traced what appeared to be at first a mundane arrow. He took aim directly at Saber's back, she was between him and his target. However that wouldn't be a problem for him.

"Selecting target!"

With a sharp twang the traced arrow was released with a perfect pull back release. The arrow raced through the distance like a buzzing bee and then did the most curious thing, its trajectory altered slipping neatly under Saber's right arm and pierced its way through the toughened skull plate of the beast and burrowed its way deeply into the spiders brain. It collapsed instantly its limbs twitching at a reminder of nerve impulses, the strings cut at the source.

Shirou smiled, Illya had really out done herself when she made these mystic codes. Seeker arrows she called them, had the capacity to seek out and pierce enemies once he selected a target. Should there be an obstacle it could account for it within reason; this was why Shirou had no fear of shooting with Saber directly engaged.

Saber leaped back from the shuddering corpse and focused her eyes deeper into the darkness, there were about five more of these creatures lurking in the deeper sections and on the nearby wall. Saber internally groaned. She hated spiders…they were just so disgusting, and they got horrible goo all over her hair and face every single time she fought them…not only that but they looked…scary though she would never admit it to anyone.

"Shirou we need some light"

Once again he raised his bow and fired three projected arrows in quick succession, around them was a slight red aura of magic. He aimed them around the massive cavern, one ahead, left and right. The moment they stuck a foreign object, such as the ground or wall they ignited like chemical flares from back home raging to life they radiated red light, illuminating the cave in all its spider lair glory. The cavern was far larger than they had first realized and was absolutely covered in web.

Their eyes widened, suddenly revealed to them was a large female spider sitting directly above them, its vast bulk made it a mystery how it was holding itself to the ceiling. Several other spiders made themselves known leaping at our intrepid heroes just as the mother spider dropped on them. Reacting quickly Shirou dived to the left just as Saber bolted right. Sweeping her blade about she bit the metaphorical bullet and carved into the two nearest spiders, she made noises of disgust as spider guts and blood sprayed at her. To her she felt like it was every spider's personal goal in life to get its bodily fluids somehow onto her clothes or face.

Bringing up his bow quickly while dancing backwards he released more arrows this time elemental based. Explosions of fire and frost punctuated by flashes of light danced between the spiders and Shirou as he unloaded arrow after arrow into the attacking spiders. The last medium sized spider was frozen completely solid as Saber appeared at his side, with a single mighty swing she shattered the ice sculpture into splinters. The enormous female spider skulked along the wall, all eight of its black eyes fixed on them with an unsettling level of calculation present.

Saber shook her whole body like giant cat that had just been dunked in a pool of water, she was completely spattered in small flecks of blood or drool, Shirou wasn't quite sure which was which. Her eyes locked on the mother spider with what could only be utter loathing and resignation. The spider thumped itself down on the main floor of the cave and moved with surprising speed towards them.

"Shirou?"

He rested down on one knee his bow at the ready, circuits thrumming.

"Ready!"

Saber charged a prana burst and launched herself across remaining distance, Excalibur reigned free from the invisible wind as its bright blade shone out. Trusting that Shirou would be able to maim the creature enough for her to finish it quickly she trust her holy blade into the beasts face with a cry.

Shirou carefully projected his next arrow, it was a more experimental one in nature and hadn't quite had all of its bugs ironed out.

"Selecting Targets!" He tracked each of the spider's thick hairy legs joints in turn with his eyes, encoding the information, he would have to force a splitting of eight for this one.

As before with a perfect pull back release the arrow was sent buzzing forward, it wasn't a moment before the glowing arrow split into multiple copies each with their own target. Some missed but out of the eight targets, six burrowed their way into their marks. It was a powerful mystic code but the sheer amount of information needing to be encoded just wasn't practical for anything more than a few targets, beyond that the arrow copies would begin to lose targeting and quality. But still it was an incredible crowd control weapon.

The Spider collapsed on its wounded legs, its pitiful screams of pain audible to both Saber and Shirou, its maw opening wide in pain. Saber decided to end it quickly. Leaping up she turned in mid-air above the monster then struck down with Excalibur with great force. The blade plunged easily through the hardened hide of the wounded creature ending its life quickly if not painlessly.

Saber leaped down as Shirou stepped closer to the huge animal. He knelt down looking at the monstrous form.

"It's strange you know, back home these would be classified as a near-phantasmal beast…here they are just like any other animal."

Saber almost rolled her eyes at Shirou's musing, what did it matter, she would prefer if they didn't exist at all. Saber's eyes turned flat as she began to smell the stink coming from her armour and clothes. She looked down at Excalibur to find the disgusting goo and blood mix sticking to her beloved blade.

Shirou turned at the sound of frantic movement behind him and was presented with an image he would forever remember. Saber was standing with her eyes closed face turned away from Excalibur as she swung it frantically in one hand away from her face and body. Small flecks of blood raining off the blade and she comically shook the blade. He smiled and moved closer and laid a hand on her frantically waving vambrace. The motions calmed and her eyes opened, Shirou pulled out a small cloth and carefully wiped clean her face. His gaze locked on her own green eyes. Carefully he then cleaned Excalibur's blade until it returned to its usually bright appearance the muck but a memory now. Saber's cheeks reddened in embarrassment at her own display and of Shirou's own ministrations, her fringe shadowed her eyes. Her murmured thanks were his sought reward and made him smile once again in reply.

"Well it looks like we're done here, ready to go home?" Home…that was an odd thing, slowly but surely even with the hard work they had been dealing with for the last few months Denerim had become home to them. He still longed for his old house where all of his memories rested though.

Once they exited the cave they were presented with a rich green landscape of rolling shallow hills that stretched off towards the Frostback Mountains that they could see in the far distance. The general area was well wooded and was actually the general work area for a lumber mill which had put out the bounty for the removal of dangerous creatures. Much to Saber's personal displeasure they had _not _mentioned spiders.

Their rented horses were tied not far from the cave entrance too some tree branches, one was a nearly all black mare, the other had a more patchy pelt of different tones of brown. It wasn't often that they were required to venture so far from the city so they had not thought to invest in acquiring expensive horses which they would have to feed and keep. They untied their horses and started for the lumber mill. After that it would be the long ride home. Shirou winced he could already feel his backside hurting.

* * *

The Denerim City Markets were abuzz today with a host of new goods pouring into the city form the newly landed ships from Antiva and Rivian, bringing with them silks, spices dried goods of various kinds, arms and armour of foreign make; a novelty for the local nobles. But there was one thing in the Market place that always drew a crowd, the first thing was in fact a short young girl with silver snow coloured hair the likes of which nobody had seen before, the second were the charms she sold.

Honestly with a nonverbal simple compulsion spell she could literally sell these people _anything _not that she was selling rubbish of course. The charms whether they be amulets, rings or broaches did exactly what she said on the label! For a period of a few months the charms would function before they would run out of prana after which they would become simple jewellery.

Illya grinned, she loved it when things went her way. Recently she had been finding she had a penchants for accumulating money through her truly devilish monopoly. Honestly the lack of any form of counter force made preforming magecraft in this world _ridiculously_ easy. She could mass produce "enchanted" jewellery which was indiscernible from the real thing and she could do it while half asleep. She even had a combat line of charms which it turned out were wildly popular with the guards, charms that could speed perception under stress, charms that could lighten your load, charms that could even slow arrows and take the bite out of a heavy blow. She was pretty sure a lot of people hated her now days. But oh well it wasn't her fault she had started a pseudo arms race between the criminal underworld and the city watch.

And really she had so many mystic codes attached to her person that a fly couldn't sneak up on her so assassins trying to catch her by surprise was just going to be pointless. She honestly couldn't wait to see the first try. She made sure to completely neglect to tell Shirou and Saber about the possibility, she was sure they would go all wobbly and ask her to stop. But where was the fun in that?!

Besides an assassin wouldn't risk attacking in the crowd and arrows would be completely useless against her mystic code. Her clothes could react to contact with high speed objects, kind of like reactive armour. They would confront her up close and personal. Oh what fun that would be!

Let it not be said that Illya couldn't get a kick out of risking her life. After all it hadn't been long ago that she was convinced she would die in a few years anyway. Amazingly Shirou and Saber had managed to save her using an artificially projected Avalon. It had to be recharged every week or so, but they were sure most of the damage had been repaired. Still she was infuriatingly short and it was likely she might remain so for some years and even then she would likely turn out to be below average in height anyway.

Having sold all of her produce with her pockets heavy with coin she quickly darted her way through the crowd escaping her "adoring" fans into one of the side streets heading for her favorite shop.

"The Wonders of Thedas" was the resplendent sign hung above the door, it was strangely enough as close to a "magic shop" as she had ever seen. They sold books on magical lore and enchanted items, apparently it was one of the few avenues available for mages trapped in the circles to sell their wares. They had a wealth of common lore on the world they now found themselves in, Illya wished she could verify some of it as much of the ancient writings came across more as legends and fanciful tales than true hard fact.

For example, the old gods of the Tevinter Imperium were the sources of the so called "Archdemon". The old gods were apparently dragons that the "maker" had banished deep into the earth where they would slumber for all time…yet apparently it seemed it was still well within the reach of the darkspawn who would continuously search for them. Once found the dragon would be corrupted and would arise as an evil corrupted archdemon of frightful intelligence. It would then direct the horde to rise up out of the deep roads and "kill everything" it seemed, there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to its intent however it did start ringing alarm bells in her head. It sounded like what the earths counter force would do to some degree. Was it possible that Thedas' counter force was somehow sealed or at least suppressed so much that even she with her refined senses could not discern it and could only come out in the expression of these darkspawn and archdemons?

She spent a few hours inside reading and speaking with the "tranquil" that manned the shop. It was like they were human puppets without souls, she could tell that they were alive however it just seemed like their souls had somehow been sealed inside them allowing only the most basic of functions to be carried out. Anything emotional seemed to be completely beyond them. In a word, it was the creepiest thing she had ever encountered. She couldn't begin to fathom how you could reverse the effect however. It truly was horrific what the Chantry would do to mages who misbehaved in this world if this was the norm.

Looking out the window she realized Saber and Onii-chan would be home soon, she had to get moving and buy some ingredients for tonight's dinner. She was ambitiously intending to cook them something to eat, in her mind's fantasy it would be nothing but perfection!

* * *

It had been three months since the day that Saber had checked them into the Gnawed noble inn. Since then it had been a mad rush for work to gain enough coin to get themselves on their feet. Completing the charter "quests" was a convenient and practical use of their own personal skills. Shirou himself wasn't so thrilled at the thought of rushing into yet more danger but it was helping people so he couldn't complain.

They were quite careful in what work they took, it wouldn't do to carry out the dirty work of some noble under the guise of innocent intentions. In most cases it was usually the high paid jobs which were "no questions asked" sadly so it was a slow grind to get where they needed. Thankfully Illya had taken up some of the slack once she was well again and began raking in quite the bit of coin with her low level mystic codes.

During that time Saber had garnered something of a following, rumors of "The Blue Saber" were circulating around Denerim's rumor mill shared in tavern's and back alleys alike it all contributed to produce a larger than life image of the woman calmly walking beside him. They said she was a free knight working for justice and truth who held helping people above all as the greatest deed possible, that she was a foreigner from a distant land hell bent on ridding the world of evil. Shirou couldn't help but chuckle at how closely they had managed to nail her character…well except for her profound dislike of giant spiders that is. It seemed no matter where Saber went in life legends were fated to rise up about her, he was glad that he was able to accompany her.

After the first two months they had accumulated enough coin to put a down payment on a modest house in the Harbor district not far from Ecklebert's own silk shop. It was a spartan affair with minimal accoutrements, it had the ground floor two bedrooms and a basement which both Illya and Shirou had been sharing as a workshop, much to Illya's dissatisfaction. The cooking facilities had undergone a major revamping with Shirou designing a primitive stove system, he had also traced all of his favorite cooking utensils. Much to Saber's approval he had managed to attain many exotic and in some cases completely new spices that he had never heard of. Recreating some of his modern cuisine was difficult but not impossible, he found that many of the more usual ingredients were quite uncommon in Fereldan which if he was honest didn't have much to say in the culinary world other than "Porridge is Good".

To Saber and Shirou's horror however there was currently some black smoke snaking out of the open front door. Both assuming the worst the charged inside to be met with the disheartening image of Illya sat in the middle of the kitchen brawling her little heart out surrounded by charred food and soot marks…to Shirou's eyes it seemed that a fit of rage she had detonated it.

"Illya!" Shirou grabbed her in a hug looking for injuries, he could see nothing wrong other than a few smudges of black on her face mixing with her tear tracks.

"I-I..I wanted to make something nice for you Onii-chann!" she managed to choked out before more tears started coming out like a torrent. Saber checked the kitchen to ensure there wasn't any residual smouldering. The fire it seemed had burned itself out a while ago.

"It's all right Illya-chan, why don't you help me next time and you can learn as we work?" he consoled the crying girl with a smile. He wiped her cheeks with palm of his hand which to his own horror just smudged the black tracks ever more. "Saber can you get a wet rag please?"

Shirou accepted the rag from Saber and wiped Illya's face clean of black soot. He smiled when he was done, "There much better, now let's clean up."

* * *

It wasn't long after they had cleaned up and eaten that Illya went to bed exhausted from the day's events. Shirou cleaned away the plates as well as he could, with no running water to speak of it was difficult to be as cleanly as possible. Saber was resting in a chair by the table wearing a modest blue dress having dispelled her dress and armour. She watched Shirou's back as he struggled with trying to clean the plates. She was used to the problems of the medieval era however much she disliked having to deal with it again she was well adapted. The fact that she had been born into royalty meant little compared to the wonders of the future, as by comparison nearly everyone in the future lived like kings, it had to be very difficult for Shirou to adapt to the mundane portion of life here.

"Shirou, would it be better for you to project our plates and other dinner ware and then dispel it afterwards? She questioned helpfully her head resting on her hand propped up on the table, her tired eyes watched as his shoulders paused a moment.

"…huh that would save me so much time…I could just take them outside and dispel them and any grime could be outside instead of me trying to clean them." Saber smiled, happy that her suggestion had borne fruit. Shirou caught her smile and took in her tired shoulders slightly slumped resting her head on her propped up arm.

"Saber? We've been working pretty hard lately…we haven't had much time to ourselves what with Illya and work." He asked as he gave up with the dishes. Saber needed a break, that much he could tell, it had been break neck speed for the last few months, no time to stop and think. It wasn't healthy for her or himself.

She lifted her hand to tiredly rub it through her hair, that single sprig of hair resolutely resisted her pawing as it sprang up again. Because she had a servant body she didn't quite feel fatigue like Shirou does but it taxes her reserves of prana to push further than she really should every day.

"You have something….. in mind Shirou?" she questioned with cute yawn. His eyes closed in a smile.

"Would you like to go on another date we me Saber?" Saber's eyes widened with flushing cheeks.

"..Of course Shirou I would love too!" her face lit up in a genuine smile the first of many he hoped.

**Authors Note: **

Hi all I forgot to add my note in at the bottom I was so hasty :p anyway I split this chapter up as it was getting to stupidly long. Anyway its slightly shorter than the previous one. Chapters will probably be around this level.

Lots of interesting things going on in this chapter I hope it makes up for the last two "set up" chapters. I like to keep things realistic after all. I want to know what people think of my interpretation of the darkspawn and the archdemon. Hope it sounds interesting!


	5. Palace Gardens And Levi's Quest

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fate or Dragon age.**

**Author Note:** Hey all I thought I would put in a pre-chapter message, answering some of the questions of guests that have been posed. Not only that but we are heading towards the start of the next arc which will start next chapter. So those waiting patiently will be pleased for some heavier action.

Guest review 1: Yep Varric will feature for sure, what the heck would we all do without our favorite dwarf!?

Guest Review 2: No Illya displayed enchanted goods not magic. Templars don't care if you sell enchanted goods, they might ask where exactly you got them but how can they prove your lying if say you bought them in Orzammar? What go to Orzammar and ask politely after knocking on their front door? Nope. They don't have the authority to stop anyone selling stuff not without just cause.

**Chapter Five: Palace Gardens And Levi's Quest**

The sun peaks over the horizon bringing the first rays of dawn's light across the land. A ray comes through the window directly onto Shirou's face, he tries to move uncomfortably but is restrained by two nearby lumps. His eyes blink open to a familiar sight. Saber's flawless face is very close to his own her sprig of hair dancing near his nose. Shirou blushed being so close, it brought back memories of the time they spent in that run down shack in the Eizenbern estate. Behind him he could feel Illya talking in her sleep muttering about her "Onii-chan" he could feel the wet patch of drool on his back where she had used him as a pillow. Saber's grasp on him was quite strong while Illya's head rested on his back peacefully.

It was a situation that occurred quite often at night. Saber and himself had chosen to share a bed considering there were only two bed rooms while giving Illya her own room. It didn't have _anything_ to do with his own wishes to be close to Saber…honest! Saber herself had mumbled something about "rightful place-connection-Shirou" and blushing when agreeing to the arrangements. But more often than not they awoke to having one extra bed mate. Shirou honestly believed she waited until they were both asleep before sneaking in.

Narrowing his eyes he declared operation: -_super secret substitution pillow technique-_ a go. A few blurred moments and like true magic he was free from his jailors; they continued to sleep none the wiser squeezing two pillows happily. Shirou smiled, operation success, and started his preparations for the day. Breakfast needed making and then the picnic he had planned with Saber.

It was about an hour and a half later when he heard stirrings in the bedroom before two hungry monsters in the form of a metaphorical lion and deceivingly innocent little girl descended on him. Luckily he was planning for this; inside a chibi Shirou was sitting with dark glasses on fingers interlaced before him, _just as planned_.

"Shhirouuu, I'm hungryy…" was the moaning declaration that proceeded Illya as she entered the small kitchen, a sleepy looking Saber making her support known with her intense expression appeared moments later. Shirou was prepared, in seconds using projected dishes and chop sticks he had laid the table. A healthy breakfast just waiting to be devoured, was presented. Happily sitting down for their meal they quickly polished it off. Illya looking quite jealous at some of the newly recreated foods he had presented.

"Thank you Shirou that was lovely, it's impressive that you can recreate some of the food of your home land even here" complemented Saber a look of pleased satisfaction on her face. It seemed the lion's appetite had been quelled Shirou thought delighted with his efforts. "It's just a matter of figuring out what's familiar Saber and recreating it as best you can." He replied amused.

Illya stood up from the tabled and grabbed some more food which she placed onto on her plate as she trotted around the table, "I'll be down stairs if anyone needs me, I've got some things to do" she said secretively Shirou sweat dropped, even although they were supposed to "share" the workshop; the reality was quite different Illya didn't like people watching her practice her magecraft it just went against the grain with her it seemed.

Shirou cleared away the results of breakfast and completed the cooking for the picnic he had planned, Saber looked on with interest. Content to have a semi "lazy" day with Shirou, it had been too long since she had really relaxed…about two thousand years actually she thought with a black chuckle. She went and dressed in a modest blue dress that covered her to her ankles; it didn't matter to her all that much the sensibilities of society, but it was best not to start a riot. She was about to pull her hair back up into her usual severe bun when she stopped…she could afford to let her metaphorical and literal hair down today she supposed.

Shirou finished putting the food in the wicker basket and covered it with a soft beige blanket. He heard foot steps behind him and turned to take Saber's hand as he was ready to go. The motion never completed itself as he was struck dumb by the vision before him. She was so care free looking, and not at all what he had grown used to. Her golden hair was down waving in slightly as she walked towards him, her green eyes fully awake now locking onto his own were much happier than the night before.

"Shirou..?" He came back to himself after a moment bushing in embarrassment, "Eh nothing Saber, ready to go?"

She nodded happily and took his offered hand.

* * *

Illya sighed thinking about the two upstairs dancing around each other. Although she wanted to keep Shirou to herself even she could see that they cared about each other deeply. It was why she left them to their own devices so quickly this morning. She had eavesdropped on their conversation last night after she want to bed, waiting for them to retire so she could quietly sneak in as she usually does.

Oh well no point over thinking it, she hadn't been lying when she said she was busy. She had decided to take her familiar magecraft to a new level, while her current ones were powerful she needed something that was both fast and powerful. So she took the principle that she had used with Shirou's flare arrows and applied the same idea. A trigger based deployable familiar. That way she could avoid having to construct her familiars on the fly which consumed concentration that really she should avoid devoting in the middle of combat unless absolutely necessary.

She examined the small glass beads she had made, within was visibly a small piece of her hair, by charging the bead with prana and tossing towards her opponents she could create high level familiars with minimal concentration. She had gotten the idea watching Rin using jewel magecraft, even if in her own opinion it was a wasteful form of magic it did have its advantages. The largest and most powerful familiar she had so far constructed was a large golem like construct, heavy on defense and hitting power but slow. Mostly they would serve as excellent distractions allowing her to use smaller more dangerous attack focused familiars to blind side her opponents. Overall it seemed a sound strategy.

She was beginning to hit a wall in her research on the blight and the lore of this world. It just wasn't readily available, the chantry kept most of the truth suppressed with only vague mentions of interesting events. Andraste's entire life for example was one long mystery if not a complete fabrication to suit the stories. The Maker also sounded particularly suspicious to her and if indeed he was "real" in some form at least, then he was responsible for unleashing the darkspawn on the world. He seemed to have a direct connection to why the world's prayer of survival its counter force was either "unconscious" or dead. Whether it was this being's fault or not was up for debate in her mind. She simply didn't have enough data to figure it out yet.

She had been searching for new sources, but they came slowly. She had heard rumors of a monk named Ferdinand Genitivi a supposed master chantry scholar who was researching the location of the resting place of Andraste. It was strange it seemed in every religion the resting place of the mortal remains of whoever was the focus almost always went missing. If only she could speak with him, but it seemed he traveled all over Thedas looking for clues so tracking him down might very well be impossible for now.

In an attempt to solve this vexing problem she had designed a mystic code in the form of a small mirror. She hoped to be able to view hidden libraries confiscated by the Chantry or even listen in on conversations between those in power. Seeing that nobody really practiced bounded fields here in Thedas her method should be able to penetrate fade based defenses. She suspected there would be interference but she doubted it could stop her mystic code. The current incarnation had several bugs however. Viewing truly distant locations was difficult with limited visibility, like a shadow on a distant pool. At best it could only divine the surrounding lands and Denerim itself with any clarity. Still it allowed her to see much of the goings on in the city if she had a sudden yearning to learn about the comings and goings of the King and his latest fling she thought dissatisfied. There was one problem it didn't transmit sound of any kind, Oh well there should be ways to improve it…

Frowning she went back to work while chewing the last pieces of breakfast.

* * *

"Shirou…how are you getting us into the Palace gardens?" came Saber's concerned question. Her frown following Shirou's back as he pulled her along by the hand. They pass several servants each studiously ignoring them. It could be very dangerous for them to be doing this if they were caught.

"Don't worry Saber! I've made an arrangement with the remaining servants while the royal family is away in Gwaren", he grinned back at her, "They get some coin on the side and we get a lovely garden for the day!" They turned through the last few stone passages inside the palace before emerging into the royal gardens, a lovely affair of green plants and finely manicured hedges. The sun seemed brighter than before just by being here, the warmth was lovely perfect for what Shirou had planned. Birds singing in the trees and frolicking in the sky.

Spotting the perfect location he led Saber forward as did so he pulled out the large blanket. Laying it out on the short grass just slightly in the shade of a great oak tree. He placed the picnic basket down and began setting up some pre-projected plates for them to use.

Saber sat next to Shirou her legs underneath her in a kneeling position. She smiled at his excited motions. Looking around she couldn't help but compare this place to her palace in Camelot, even she had to admit this was far grander and substantial than her own had been. It brought back bad memories, thoughts about her past clouded her joy. She may have resolved to accept her past life, but that did not mean she was glad of it. Accepting her mistakes, accepting the fact that she is indeed human was a hard lesson.

She supposed these past months had been full of activity, going from job to job without much consideration for her own life. After all she had to take care of Shirou and Illya they were her responsibility now and she couldn't stomach the idea of failure again. That brought up another problem their general ignorance of this world was so obvious it nearly hurt. True they had been adapting quickly but anyone could see they weren't from around here. She knew she could blend in easily but Shirou and Illya stuck out like sore thumbs. Shirou's command of the local language had indeed improved but anyone that spoke to him knew he was foreign in but a moment. In medieval societies being a foreigner was a dangerous occupation. It amazed her that he had managed persuade his way in here considering.

She sighed and tried to let go of her fears.

"Here Saber try this, I've tried to recreate Onigiri…yes I know it looks strange but the taste is really quite near it!" the ball of what looked like rice wrapped in a dried seaweed pulp was presented up by her nose startling her from her thoughts. She tentatively picked up the pseudo rice ball and bit into it. It was like coming home the taste wasn't exactly like it but it was probably as close as you were likely to get using another worlds ingredients.

Shirou watched as she took the first bite, her eyes closed in what he hoped was ecstasy. She quickly ate the rest of it her cheeks bulging comically, after a few moments she finished and Shirou handed her a cup of water.

"Mmm it was perfect Shirou! Have you got anymore?" her eyes darted into the basket, instincts on the hunt he recognized. He smiled knowing she would want more, giving her the entire box full he knew would please her. He had learned that the path to Saber's heart seemed to take many turns past her stomach.

Saber pauses as she takes another bite out of a poor unfortunate Onigiri, a sudden thought occurring to her. Her eyes shadowed by her fringe.

"Shirou…why haven't you been more worried about getting back home?" she questioned, after a moment of silence her eyes darted towards his face he seemed pensive, "Back home we wouldn't have to worry about the dangers we are facing here."

Shirou understood what she was talking about, the possibility of disease, death, imprisonment and torture perhaps all of them at once was far higher than in their home dimension. They may have been lucky so far with their skills and abilities allowing them to stay one step ahead of these dangers. Truthfully however it was only a matter of time before things could go bad in a way that they couldn't handle on their own. They didn't really know the dangers this world could throw at them, dangers perhaps that even Saber in all her power couldn't face alone.

"You're right I have been accepting haven't I?" He looked out over Denerim the city coming to life in the late morning light, his eyes turned closer two sparrows danced about in the tree careless of the world, "I suppose the truth is that as long as I'm with you I don't long for the past and I can't fear the future. All I know is that here in this world you're still here and I can't help but be grateful beyond words for it."

Saber froze she had loved Shirou for some time but she didn't realize he was so dependent on her for his own happiness. Her eyes fixed on the face of her…lover still staring into the distance. In a few movements her lips were on his own in a soft gentle kiss that slowly grew more passionate as Shirou responded from his surprise.

The kiss broke with a gasp Saber on her hands and knees face to face with her lover eyes clouded. Birds flew overhead dancing in the eaves of the buildings and out over Denerim. Arms curled around her form as Shirou fell backwards on the blanket. She met his chest with a sigh of happiness. During the Holy Grail War their relationship had often been rushed by necessity, the urgency of the inevitable had been upon them. Saber had always known that she would die one way or another it was the reason why she tried her hardest to spare Shirou the heart ache when inevitably she could not stay with him.

This world however had changed all of that, here she could remain for as long as she had prana, there was no counter force bearing down on her existence. It made having a life with Shirou a real possibility, she had never expected a second chance. Death on the field of battle at Camlann was her future it always had been. But that final confrontation with the grail had changed all of that. She turned her face into Shirou's chest as fat tears of joy and sadness poured from her eyes as she finally accepted the possibilities of the future.

Shirou was honestly mystified but he had a feeling something had radically changed within Saber it was all he could do but to hug her close and hope she was fine. A muffled murmur echoed across his chest as his ears pricked up.

"Saber?"

"….My name its Artoria Pendragon"

Shirou could only lie back and smile as he held her to him, the name of the woman he loves it was finally his to keep.

* * *

It was midday in Denerim when one Levi Dryden arrived at the markets to check up on some of his ventures. Some basic deals with the local traders concerning food stuff from the surrounding farms and Amaranthine. It would fetch a good return if all went well but Levi still didn't smile at the thought. It was just business as usual not something to be joyful over.

He was still feeling down at the lack of progress his pet project had accomplished. He had been trying for months now to get some traction on unearthing evidence that could help clear the Dryden name. Evidence that could be gotten specifically from one Soldier's Peak in the Terynir of Highever.

Duncan, Commander of the Grey Wardens in Fereldan seemed to be disinterested at the moment having his hands full with trying to rebuild the weakened Grey Wardens; searching through a mouldering old keep it seemed was the last thing on his mind. He had tried to interest Teryn Cousland with the thought of a valuable fortress in the foot hill between Highever and Amaranthine but he had come across unimpressed by the idea considering it to be a venture not worth the effort or coin. He honestly couldn't blame either of them for their reaction, Levi himself would be totally disinterested in the old keep if it hadn't been for the tantalizing evidence that might clear his family name. That left him with few options, hire an expensive mercenary band which may or may not hold up their end of the bargain or go on his own and gamble on the idea that there wasn't anything _there _waiting to devour, kill him or worse.

It was at that moment that he passed the Chantry charter board and had to take a second look. It was _covered _with requests of all kinds, everything from delivering alchemical supplies to finding missing persons to clearing out criminal gangs. All of them it seemed were addressed to one "_Blue Saber"_. He took in the sight again, even the wooden frame of the board was covered with requests. The vast majority of them were offering little to no reward likely posted by people that couldn't afford a reward. It made him feel even sadder, so many people and they all need help himself included.

He looked past the board at the chantry, two templars were posing as guards with their arms crossed trying to look impressive in their massive armour. The very idea that they could be standing around doing nothing…he was stunned at the irony of their inaction in the face of such need. He may be a merchant but that didn't mean he could ignore people that called out for help.

The real question was who this "Blue Saber" person was, if this many requests were addressed to them he was certain they might be able to help him. He looked at the request board, he suddenly felt like he was skipping the queue in a way, what a rotten thought.

He entered the local tavern the Gnawed Noble Inn and discretely inquired about this apparent hero. It didn't take but a few moments before he found someone, a young man _eager _to endlessly talk about the person in question. It turned out that "Blue Saber" was in fact a short girl of striking countenance. Usually seen in dresses of various styles but all of them blue, a few had claimed to see her in direct combat wearing stylized heavy armour with blue iconography. It was hard to believe for the witnesses to believe that such a short waif of a girl could wield such massive weapons such as her wide two handed great sword and move in her armour at the same time. (1)

But beyond her appearance it was her actions that pulled attention to her. She would go out of her way to help people, even if the request was a low paying one, all for the satisfaction of helping make someone's life just that little bit better or easier. Tales of families reunited and bandits vanquished it seemed were the norm concerning this girl. It seemed she had set out in her life to be a true knight the kind that only existed in books or fairy tales. It also seemed that she had a companion that people had started noticing, a red armoured archer of red hair foreign features and hawk-like eyes. The young man sounded particularly jealous of this person in particular.

Levi thought carefully, was this providence of some kind that in his moment of need that he should learn of the sudden appearance of this hero of Denerim?

A few more questions and he learned that they apparently lived somewhere in the Harbor District. It seemed they hadn't bothered to keep their movements a secret.

It took a further hour out of his time searching the Harbor district asking for information before he struck lucky with a silk merchant who said that "Saber" and her family lived nearby. It wasn't long before he was before a rather humble looking house. He never would have imaged that this "Blue Saber" would live here it seemed a rather rustic affair. He knocked politely on the door hoping he had the correct house. Some rumbling from inside sounded out past the wooden door before an annoyed voice called out.

"We don't accept well-wishers, door to door salesman or distant relations! If you want help post your request at the chantry board Saber will get to yours eventually she is only one person after all!" It sounded like a young girl her voice sounded ticked off and annoyed…perhaps this happened a heck of a lot more often than he had expected.

"I-I'm sorry my lady I've just come searching for Blue Saber, its said she lives here, my name is Levi, Levi Dryden and I have a proposition for her!" he called through the door. If it really was a little girl he could understand not opening the door to strangers.

"Yes yes, I always get at least someone coming to the door if I stay home but what's this about a proposition?" came the surprisingly clear reply…huh this door must be pretty thin for the sounds to be so clear coming through.

"Well it's a matter of some sensitivity you understand", he looked around for any passers-by, "I couldn't really talk about it through a door. I can say it concerns the grey wardens and one of their old keeps." He spoke normally believing the door to be thin enough.

It wasn't a flash before the door opened and a small hand grabbed a hold of his tunic pulling him inside.

* * *

Shirou gently held Artoria's hand as they arrived home. Today had been special, he really felt like he had helped his lover with some of the issues she was having. Her presence beside him felt so much lighter and happier. It also felt like their relationship had progressed to a whole new level one of openness and connection that they hadn't experienced before. The sun was nearly on its way for setting over the city, the clouds beginning to go pinkish and wispy. All in all it had been a lovely day worth remembering for the future.

As they approach the front door of their home they could hear a heated discussion featuring predominately Illya's voice. It only took a moment for them to change from their carefree selves into two battle hardened adventures ready to protect their younger family member. The door opened with a clang as Artoria stepped forth holding seemingly nothing in a two handed grip across her body. Shirou stepped to her left side hands open and at the ready, prepared for imminent tracing.

They were presented with a rather amusing image completely contrary to what they expected. A rather young looking man sitting at the dinner table leaning back as Illya stood across from him hands on the table with an imperious focused expression on her face. The man by comparison looked rather set upon if not befuddled.

"So you personally know the Warden Commander of Fereldan, this man Duncan?" she demanded rudely.

"Ahh…yes…well sort of…I wouldn't say that I know him I just asked him for help." He replied with a slight bead of sweat on his forehead, he hadn't expected such an intense interrogation for his trouble, and on the Grey Wardens of all things.

"Hmm…and you say this Soldier's keep might have hidden lore? Information not commonly available?" her expression getting even more intense.

"I would guess so…but it's been centuries since it was occupied, most of everything is probably spoiled." Her expression didn't fall as if the state of the tomes was ultimately unimportant to her.

"Illya?" Shirou asked a sweat drop on his brow as he watched Illya with flat eyes interrogate a total stranger with no restraint.

"Oh Oni-chan, Saber your home! Look what I found!" Gesturing to the young man who looked rather stunned at the strange comment.

"Illya….we don't steal people" this time it was Artoria who chided her, she no longer carried her weapon having dismissed it her expression was completely deadpan. Shirou decided he better apologize quickly to prevent any more damage than had already been done.

"I'm sorry sir, Illya can be quite…spirited when she finds something or someone that interests her. I'm Shirou" He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked forward to greet the man.

"It's alright ser I sought your group out" he stood up and shook his hand, "Levi Dryden at your service, I came with a proposition and met your Illya at the door she was more than pleased to meet me it seems."

"Pleased to meet you Levi" he motioned to Artoria, "this is Artoria, you probably know her as Saber."

"Honored to meet you my lady, the city truly thinks the world of you and your work!" Levi bowed once again this time much deeper. Illya's eyes narrowed at the use of a real name for Saber something had changed for sure. Artoria smiled and took the compliment graciously.

"You mentioned something about a proposal?" Shirou asked once introductions were out of the way. They all took a seat at the small table Shirou opposite Levi with Artoria and Illya opposite each other.

"Well you see the Dryden were a noble family once related closely to the Theirin royal line…." Levi proceeded to tell them the full story of how Sophia Dryden was declared a traitor after her cousin Arland became king of Fereldan over two hundred years ago. She was forced into the wardens and took command of Soldier's Peak the main Grey Warden base in Fereldan at the time. She was later killed alongside the entire complement of Grey Wardens manning the fortress when Arland declared them all traitors to the crown and as a result the Dryden name became less than dirt, "But we Dryden's are a tough lot, we came back made our living as merchants. I want to find proof that my ancestor was a just and righteous person and clear the Dryden name"

Shirou could tell Artoria was rather taken with the tale and the merchant's pursuit of honorable restoration of his family name. He wasn't so sure, it was a good sales pitch but he wasn't sure he completely trusted Levi yet.

"And what was stopping you from traveling to this Soldier's Peak and getting it yourself?" Questioned Shirou eyes intently fixed on Levi looking for tells. Artoria glanced at Shirou did he not trust Levi? Illya rolled her eyes that wasn't important the unclaimed _Grey Warden _fortress was, just think of all the answers they could find!

"Mainly because I'm no warrior ser, it's a dangerous road up to the keep, a veritable labyrinth of twists and turns. I spent years working out the correct route to take." He paused a thoughtful look on his face, "The keep itself should be safe, sealed by king Arland it was, it's probably just filled mouldering old bones and books. I can promise any loot and a small fee for accompanying me."

Shirou still wasn't convinced; why exactly was a grey warden fortress, in a very strategic location near as he could tell, lying abandoned for centuries? Wouldn't the local nobles want to reclaim it? He glanced at Artoria and Illya both with eyes fixed on him. Their gazes were very easy for him to understand, they trusted Levi and wanted to help them. He slowly rubbed his brow, well if Artoria felt confident then it should be fine and Illya looked as if she would skin him alive with her eyes if he turned the man down.

"Alright Levi you have yourself a deal but if you've been keeping things back that's the second we go home", he looked at Artoria and Illya their satisfied expressions telling him exactly who was wearing the metaphorical pants in this family, "We'll need a few days to organize ourselves is that fair?"

"Wonderful, no that's fine. Thank you so much for the help!" Levi thanked them genuinely. It was dusk as he stepped out into the city, life already beginning to wind down as people were going home. A huge smile on his face, progress at last!

**Author's Note:**

This one turned out to be a little bit longer than I imagined, don't worry I'm not going to leave people hanging waiting to get to the good stuff. I have updated nearly every day since I published, the creative tread mill is a tough mistress -_- I feel like Artoria is standing behind me with a judgemental expression on her face.

Anyway this sets up the beginning of the main arcs leading up to the blight. Shirou and Co won't be ignorant about the Blight going in, they will be fully aware of the problems concerned with ending one. Considering their eventual encounters with Avernus.

I hope I managed to do Shirou and Saber's romance scene tastefully it resolves some of the questions in Fate didn't get their resolution which didn't happen after the Grail's destruction, naturally it took longer to happen considering she was saying her last words to Shirou originally so they simply didn't have time. In this story they do have time to take it slower. This was Artoria accepting the truth of her new life. So far she has been avoiding the fact that she can start living again. Not as a king, not as a servant but as a woman in love.

Now I'm sure some people will question why I used Artoria instead of Arturia or Arthuria. By Nasuverse lore her true name is Artoria not any other version. Arturia and Altria are romanized versions of Artoria which I'm not sure she would use herself.

Now Levi is going to be an important character to the gang, he's a merchant savvy knows people and how to get things done. He's also very familiar with the world all invaluable skills that Shirou and Artoria will need in the future.

Again I know this is another "set up" chapter but you can't just jump into things without explanation or context as I know some viewers have been teased enough with the build-up.

See even in the Dragon age verse its easy to find Saber fan boys :3

(1) Artoria uses a mundane great sword when doing combat jobs in the city to avoid attention.

Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this fluffy chapter and pls review :3


	6. Possession and Demons for Dummies

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Author Pre-notes: **Some answers to guest reviews. Come on guys log in :p

Guest at March24: Yep we are still waiting for the rogue to be included….hmm I wonder who that could be?

Fx002: You would actually be incorrect. Gaia and Ayala are _both_ counter forces. Originally they were in alignment with each other but as humanity grew stronger and less reliant on the earth they started to be at odds. The same applies for thedas, its has its own counter forces one aligned with the world (which is inactive) and one aligned with humanity. Other species? Well that's spoilers :p

One final note this chapter is a whopping 12.3k words long so enjoy my blood sweat and tears. Try not to drink it too quickly =_=

Also I shake my fist at the American spell checker on FF all the little red lines irritate me!

**Chapter Six: Possession, Reanimation and Demons for Dummies**

They arrived at sunset. The looming fortress was a rather impressive sight to the party of four down below approaching at a sedate careful pace. Perched high in the mountains northern mountains of Ferelden equidistant from the Terynir capital of Highever and it vassal Amaranthine, its strategic position was as impressive as its stature towering above them looking perfectly at home amongst the mountain peaks. The fortress itself took the form of two large structures, the first and main keep was quite a bit thicker than its counterpart forming the bulwark upon which other defenses were based. A multitude of abandoned towers were perched upon its form creating a symmetrical design of multiple ramparts. It formed a tiered defensive system with the third and final defense being a tall tower at the peak of the fortress.

The second structure was a tall tower equal in size to the main keep connected to the main structure by a thin multiple arched causeway. It seemed to be a less of a last line of defense and perhaps had more or an academic or religious purpose as evidenced by the large windows reaching up for meters at a time. The final touch was the snow glistening upon every flat surface like icing on a grand cake.

The party that approached was wearing slightly different equipment from their usual gear that they would use in the warmer city, the Terynir of Highever was home to cold mountainous regions so they had prepared appropriately. Artoria's shoulders were covered in a white furred cloak shielding her throat from the worst of the cold. Over her armour it struck quite the image of a majestic warrior queen.

Following her was Shirou, he wore a heavy sleeveless trench coat this time dyed red it flowed down to the back of his legs, under that he wore his usual custom armour. Slung over his shoulder was a heavy satchel carrying the groups tents.

Illya wore a coat recreated from her own memories with Shirou's help. Her silver hair was covered in a white fur muff hat over her small body she wore a knee length purple coat with extra pockets filled with her familiar beads, to everyone's eyes it offered little to no protection. Levi had also changed his outfit for the weather, wearing a heaving brown coat that covered his arms and legs. On his back was a heavy pack filled with supplies.

"What a fortress! I've mapped the area but I've never dared come closer to the keep proper." Levi remarked, taking in the reaching towers and glistening peaks with awe.

"…It makes me question why it's been abandoned all this time; oh and for your information Levi we went around in circles for hours back there." Shirou stated in long sufferance.

"It was an easy mistake to make…you can get turned about easily in there!" several sighs sounded around him in exasperation, he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

The atmosphere turned serious as they approached the portcullis gate house of the outer defenses. They were organized in a very particular formation, Artoria taking lead with Shirou on her flank ready to run interference, Levi in the middle with Illya taking up the last position best suited to stalling tactics with her heavier familiars.

"Illya can your new mirror scry inside the walls?" questioned Shirou, the thought only just now occurring to him. A tired sigh sounded at his back.

"Of course silly, what good would a _scrying_ mirror be if it couldn't see inside buildings?" A dark pall appeared around Shirou's head as his shoulders sank, it was like having another smaller and even more childish Rin following them around. Illya stepped forward so that everyone could see the surface of the small mystic code.

Levi watched in awe as the reflection faded to show the insides of the keep, they scanned through various rooms all motionless with dead decaying bodies in abundance. The image started to shake and fade in and out of focus as Illya frowned and traced a glowing hand over it. That was another thing he couldn't get over the young girl and her "brother" were apparently mages and completely unafraid of showing her talents to him. Levi honestly wondered why they felt so secure in that…

"That's not good…I haven't seen this effect before, its losing clarity…almost like the physical reality inside the keep isn't…solid", Illya frowned concentrating before a metaphorical light bulb switched on. "I've read that ancient battle fields or places where enough death has occurred can thin the veil between the physical and the fade causing ghosts and other occurrences", at Shirou's intense look she continued confidently, "But it's all rather harmless though, shouldn't be anything to worry about…"

Shirou sighed, Illya had forced her inclusion in this adventure much to his own and Artoria's worry. They couldn't guarantee her safety any more than they could guarantee their own. This whole idea was beginning to go from bad to worse…reality wasn't solid in the keep? What would that mean for their magecraft? Truthfully it was far too dangerous for Illya come along, he was about to open his mouth and say as much when Illya's annoyed voice rang out.

"I may look young but remember I was one of the most dangerous masters in the war! Besides I'm older than you Onii-chan so you don't get to tell me what to do!" Her matter of fact statement shut him up, Illya was _older_ than him? Artoria's attention had also been stolen by the comment but she did nothing other than fastening her eyes on the small girl with sudden intensity.

"Let's move on, I feel lingering would be a mistake…" came Artoria's wary tones as she treaded forward, armoured heels snapping on the stairs up to the gates. Her thoughts turning to Illya's comment, she was _older_ than Shirou? Then could it mean she was in fact Irisviel's daughter? Her name was Illyasviel after all. Questions for a safer time she decided.

It wasn't a moment after they had passed under the gate of the outer defenses that before their very eyes a mirage of shapes suddenly solidified in the courtyard. The group went for their weapons in surprise but the mirages did little more that act out seemingly nonsensical actions.

Illya passed her hand through one of the apparitions, "Just as I thought, ghosts created from an imprint left behind of the siege that occurred here long ago." The apparitions took on more detail as a multitude of armoured men and the sound of battle took over the area.

"Fall back! Fall back already!" Ordered a man wearing massive plate armour his gaze locked hatefully up at the keep. The ghost men continued to stream past the watching adventurers. Another armoured man this time with stronger definition than the other ghosts stepped up to the other more heavily protected man.

"Taking the keep will not be easy my lord, it was designed to be impregnable, the land here makes it impossible to bring up siege engines of any size." The man's gaze was solemn as he looked back towards the keep.

"I gave those traitorous Wardens one chance to die with honor! Instead they hole up like cowards, we follow the king's advice then. Starve them out!" The other man looked unconvinced. "But the keep has months of supplies, there could even be secret passages that only the wardens know of."

"Then we wait, encircle the entire area, and when they are too weak to fight we will send them to their final judgement!" the mirages faded quickly, disappearing like smoke on the wind. The group moved forward into the courtyard proper. Mist was thick in the area shrouding much of the right hand side of the courtyard. Directly ahead were steps heading up to the main doors of the keep. On the steps were several withered corpses at various levels of decomposition.

"Fade ghosts now? Maybe this was a bad idea…" Levi's uncertainty was compounded by the sound of crackling bones and ancient cartilage; on all sides they could see ancient corpses rise on their emaciated and sometimes skeletal legs. Illya's eyes lit up in interest. Spirit controlled corpses! She had only read about this, what a boon coming on this trip was turning out to be!

"Shirou…" Artoria's eyes picking out the greatest concentration of corpses, at least six, directly ahead. She readied her true sword Excalibur currently sheathed in invisible air.

"I know…Illya take the group to our left I'll handle the ones in the mist." With that all three exploded into motion. Illya cast out three silvery beads which glowed with active magecraft; what hit the ground however was not small by anyone's definition. Enormous glowing golems at least two or more meters in height were suddenly bearing down on the suddenly pathetic looking skeletal wardens. Grasping three smaller beads, her faster more powerful attack familiars she readied them for the follow through.

Shirou stepped forward muttering his activation aria, he reinforced his eyes and followed the motions of the shambling corpses in the mist. Bow already prepared he pulled back and traced an arrow at the same time, this time a far more destructive version of the explosive arrow meant to shatter and destroy with ease. Launching it into the haze the resulting explosion could be seen ejecting burning shattered corpses which rapidly stopped moving after several rolls through the snow.

Artoria swept forward confidently these creatures had neither the strength not the skill not harm her or even her other companions. Parrying away a cross bow bolt with the flat of her blade she demonstrated her superior reflexes and skill. Deciding she had wasted enough time she bolted forward with her true speed. The first corpse that rose its rusted sword at her was bisected sword and all with Excalibur, the block offering no resistance to her legendary blade.

It reminded her of facing caster's familiars really all they had served to do was take up the time it took to swing her blade. Swinging her sword around in a two handed grip she struck into the group of corpses. With heavy deceptively fast overhead blows she finished the rest of them. The last one with the crossbow was retreating unsteadily on its ruined legs fumbling with the device trying to reload. It threw the weapon at her, she cut the ancient device in half as she advanced after it. Taking the dagger at its belt it launched itself at her. With a side step and a lunging strike she parted the corpse's skull from the rest of its body.

Artoria turned back to watch as Illya dispatched the rest of the creatures with a perfectly executed blindside attack using her offensive based familiars as the large golems kept the attention of the corpses. She smiled, not bad, if she was right then Irisviel would be proud of her daughter's skills.

Illya almost skipped to the nearest mostly "intact" corpse, kneeling beside it she began her examination, producing a blade from within her coat she split the corpse down the middle quickly. The insides were disgusting but very much normal. No disfigurement or alterations. The brain of the creature was mostly gone so that wasn't the source of its locomotion either.

This confirmed what she believed of fade reanimated corpses and likely demons as well. They were puppets, familiars much like her own; controlled from the fade by demons that hadn't "entered" physical but had gained influence over the physical. If she was lucky she might even get to see true manifested demons!

Everyone looked on with a deadpan expression at the display. "She doesn't do this often…does she?" asked Levi with a slightly twitching eyebrow. Shirou answered with a long suffering look, "More than you would believe…I mean, the whole cutting up a corpse gleefully thing…that's new." Okay Artoria thought, so Irisviel wouldn't be proud so much as angry at Kiritsugu for passing on all his genes to Illya.

"Just as I suspected!" the smile on Illya's face grew, next she declared "Demon's puppeteer through the veil creating or possessing physical familiars! Whether they be humans or completely manifested bodies."

"Demons? What does that mean for us clearing out the keep?" Artoria questioned wanting as much information as possible. Shirou and Levi listened carefully as the she continued.

"It means that we can't tell when something will attack using the mirror, corpses will rise but they might not be the only thing we encounter. More powerful demons could manifest familiar bodies directly taking us by surprise." Illya lectured. The longer this continued the more Levi thought he was up to his neck in it. Illya continued after a moment, "Also it means that not only is the veil simply thin its torn allowing direct influence on the physical world, it needs to be sealed" her voice losing all childish delight.

"This is beginning to feel like that time we faced Caster and her prepared defenses…" muttered Shirou to Artoria, she ruefully nodded in agreement.

"I don't know about you but this is sounding like more and more of a mistake to go any further. I want the Dryden name cleared but facing demons and undead?" Levi stated his resolve crumbling, he was a merchant damn it not a warrior or a spell caster.

"I'm sorry Levi but we need to go on, we can't leave a place like this just waiting for some innocent to come along and be killed." Shirou affirmed with certainty steel in his eyes. Shirou started up the stairs onward to the keeps main entrance.

The Artoria and Illya followed up the steps without hesitation leaving Levi standing in the cold snow. Inside he was a quivering mess, he had been expecting a nice and easy scavenge deal not a battle like out of some fairy tale against demons and undead horrors! He swallowed down his fears he couldn't let them go and face this on their own. He surely had as much courage as that little girl!

"….shite wait for me!" He sprinted quickly after them, his heavy boots clacking on the stone stairs up to the keep doors.

"Hm, just a moment and I'll have this open. It looks like someone has sealed the inner doors with fade magic." Illya stated, taking a stance with her hand directly ahead. She concentrated on the thought of dispelling the magic before her.

Her wishcraft was a magecraft that went beyond what most others normally thought possible, it was the Einzbern's trump card allowing users to "skip" thaumaturgical steps. This means that while she may not know how to do something she could use simple intent to achieve the same effect that true knowledge would grant. Because of its more esoteric nature it could be used to launch any number magic attacks without knowing how to produce the elemental in question. It did have its draw backs however requiring exacting concentration which resulted in a loss of situational awareness. Utterly deadly in a combat scenario which is why she preferred to rely on familiars.

The sheen across the keep doors dispelled with a glow of white light and a pop. Artoria stepped forth and opened the doors careful to keep her armoured gauntlets between her and anything that might lunge out from the keep interior. The doors opened to a small guard room, on the walls were several rotted parchments pinned and one metal plaque.

"Well it's time to go to work, stay alert everyone and watch your back it's likely that they might try a sneak attack" Shirou stated as he followed Artoria into the keep proper, Illya trotted happily in after him.

Levi took what he hoped wasn't his last look at the sun and followed them inside.

* * *

Withered old eyes opened as the he felt the outer defenses of his barrier were torn down with enormous power. It wasn't but a moment before he lost control over the threads of the spell. Truly unbelievable, to tear down his defenses would require a mage of incredible power and skill…well much like himself he postulated.

Extending his senses he felt the boy Levi in the company of several very strange individuals. So he had done as he expected the boy would and unwittingly brought him his needed reinforcements!

He paused then focused on the "strange" presences. The first felt if anything like a high dragon, a bottomless pit of fiery energy by far the most powerful presence it was the most obvious to his senses. It felt…alien was the best way to describe it, unnatural. The next was a presence that spoke of iron and steel, his metaphorical fingers sliding over this presence finding little to no purchase at all. This person also felt alien but even more so than the last, it felt like some of the demon minds he had touched…so twisted.

The last presence he sensed was the one who had broken his defenses, it possessed reserves of power that dwarfed his own presence and made his own powers feel like a speck in an ocean of power. He truly hadn't believed power like that could exist within a human mage and he considered himself one of the most powerful and skilled mages currently alive. This one also felt alien to his senses.

If anything they all reminded him of the feeling of the blight yet it wasn't as disgustingly corrupt in nature. It was just a sense of wrongness. Almost like what he was sensing simply didn't belong.

But that was impossible wasn't it?

* * *

The group were only a few steps into the keep when another vision came upon them. Apparitions of Grey Wardens solidifying, some sitting or guarding what they imaged would have been barred gates. This event likely took place not long after the first that they witnessed outside in the courtyard.

"The men's morale is low. My spells are of no use in this matter, Sophia." Came a solemn statement from one of the apparitions standing near a corner in the room. Opposite was another ghost this one wearing resplendent armour embellished with an insignia of double rampant griffons. The woman within the armour was rather lovely if in a rather classical Fereldan way. High cheek bones with her brown hair cut short and pleated into two or three braids.

"There is more to leading men than sorcery you know that Avernus. I will speak to the men and remind them that they're wardens." She said seriously. She strode forward to the centre of the room. Warden apparitions quickly took notice and began to come together.

"Men! I won't lie to you the situation is grim. Our forces outnumbered. Our bellies empty. And our hearts sagging. But we are wardens! Darkspawn flee when they hear our horns. Archdemons die when they taste out blades. So are we to bend knee to a mere human despot? No!" She began pacing back and forth, arms punctuating each statement with a gesture.

"I for one will never give up. I for one will never surrender just to dance on Arland's gallows! So I propose here and now, in these hallowed halls where generations of our brethren stood vigil against darkspawn and evil, that we send a message to that fat bastard! That in this sacred place proud men, strong men stood defiant!" She stopped and looked directly past them at the gates as if talking at Arland himself.

"And would rather die than submit to tyranny!"

With her final declaration the apparitions cheered and as the sound echoed in the room the vision faded away.

"So brave even when starving! And my great-great grandmother stood with them!" Levi said in awe. Artoria looked on not quite as impressed as the descendant a few paces back from her. While charismatic she wasn't quite sure of how genuine the warden commander really was.

"You see Levi that's where your courage comes from!" declared a cheerful Illya as she examined some of the notes and the plaque left behind. Nothing but some names declaring their rebellion against King Arland. Nothing of interest to her.

"There seems to be more going on than you told us Levi." Shirou turned to Levi waiting for a response.

"During the reign of King Arland much of the records were lost; I only managed to learn that the wardens of the keep led by my ancestor were declared traitors not why."

Moving on they opened the door to the next room. Artoria stepped forth first invisible sword at the ready; eyes focused dangerously. Shirou and Illya followed close by. At first the room seemed perfectly benign, the raging fireplace gave away the profound unnatural intent in the room.

"Be ready…Levi Back to the previous room!" came Artoria's command.

Within moments of her command a monstrous figure came from one of the flickering shadows cast by the raging fire. It was thin with an emaciated vaguely human looking form. Garbed in a mage-like ragged robe pillowing in some hidden wind. Dark skull sockets illuminated by cold blue coals. Its screech more mental than physical thundered through the three opposing figures. Artoria recovered first and lunged for the creature a war cry on her lips as she swung her sword with sharp efficient movements.

The feeling of malicious intent rose up once again but this time the demon or demons rose up out of the fire itself. Creatures of magma and flesh they were truly vile to look upon. Their ghoulish blob like forms swept forward into sharp snouts with glowing eyes. The stone work _melted _at their approach leaving trails of magma in their wake!

Illya moved first knowing they couldn't let the creatures close or risk immolation. With a cast of four beads two for each demon she conjured four golems which started grappling with the fiery creatures holding them rooted preventing them from moving.

Shirou reacted in unison with Illya drawing his bow projecting the strongest ice based arrows that he currently possessed before releasing both arrows at the same time. They buzzed through the air surrounded in a light blue blizzard like aura. With a snap they collided with the creatures freezing them solid in a single moment. Illya's golems took the advantage and smashed them into pieces.

Artoria danced around the mage like creature. It could form illusions tricking her into misreading its movements, this was by far the most powerful creature she had faced here in this world. However it had no way to harm her as its magical attacks simply bounced off her superior magic resistance. The creature seemed to grow impatient as its attempts to blast her with magic grew more powerful. Suddenly it ceased all movement, not one to avoid an opportunity she lunged with Excalibur point forward into the chest of the creature only to _miss?_

The creature was suddenly missing, her gaze snapped round and in slow motion she could see the creature towering over Illya like a specter of death. Her eyes went wide in horror but before a word of warning could escape her there was a flash of red.

Shirou barely caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. The creature had just _moved_ across the room in an instant. He had no time to think he needed a weapon his bow was too ungainly at his at his current level of skill. His reinforcement reached its highest level and pushed beyond. His hand open and grasping he felt the unfamiliar grip of two weapons in his hands. A split moment later and the two blades were buried hilt deep in the back of the creature. His gaze hardened and teeth grit as he pulled each blade left and right. A shower of detritus escaped the massive wounds he had dealt the creature nearly bisecting it across the middle. With a screech of anger the demon disintegrated into green motes of light and then nothing.

Artoria's wide eyes took in the slowly flapping red coat that was attached to her lover. He had reacted so fast! The fireplace was but embers now deprived of its demonic tenants plunging the room into a half twilight. Artoria's eyes narrowed in self-hate. She had almost failed again! If it hadn't been for Shirou Irisviel's daughter…she couldn't continue the thought. She had been arrogant believing that she could handle the enemy without needing to utilize her full power. Such arrogance!

Shirou took in the blades he had projected in his moment of need. Before him were that bastard Archer's swords the names of which came easily to him now. The white one was Bakuya and the black Kanshou the married monster killing blades. How appropriate; he stowed them on his hips not willing to expend more energy tracing them again. Illya's eyes were locked on Shirou's. Her hands slightly shook and were nowhere near her familiar beads…she had simply had no time to react but…Shirou.

"That enemy it used second magic! Or at least a form of it", exclaimed a shaky Illya. Shirou agreed he had seen caster perform a similar feat but it hadn't been combat viable serving only as a retreat mechanism back to her base of operations.

Artoria was silent as she walked away anger nearly getting the better of her. She took the left hand door, opening it she took Excalibur in two hands. It as a small room which lead nowhere, likely a barracks or guard room she could see from the bunk beds. More corpses rose from their slumber to confront her. As the corpses converged on her she released her invisible air and like a thundering whirlwind it _shredded _the room.

Not even the stones escaped her punishment as in an instant the room was cleared of enemies…and most of everything else. Her shadowed eyes watched as a small piece of parchment the sole survivor of the event ghosted down to her hand where she seized it. Invisible wind once again sheathed Excalibur.

It was rather damning, something had happened to cause demons to be released that were attacking both wardens and kings men. Returning to the rest of her companions she was confronted with several wide eyed looks.

"Artoria…are you okay?" asked a tentative Shirou, he knew better than to ask but he couldn't help it he cared too much about her not to.

"I'm fine..." She hands the note to Levi who takes it with a slightly panicky grip; that power had been incredible they had felt it through the brick work. The entire wall had shifted!

He read the note and spoke aloud for the benefit of everyone present, "Soldier's Peak is more than we bargained for. There is sinister magic at work here. The men are seeing things and cannot tell nightmares from reality. The fallen return to life to attack again and again, and we are assaulted by dark creatures the likes of which I have never seen. Whoever is responsible is intent on destroying us all-the king's army and the Grey Wardens both. Send help! We cannot last much longer. It is signed, Commander Athlar."

"No telling if it was a grey warden note or from one of the kings men. "Commander" perhaps that man we saw outside in the vision once they got inside?" Illya postulated a deep frown on her face.

"The wardens must be responsible for all this…they are the only ones that would be desperate enough to summon demons in this context." Hypothesized Shirou. Someone had summoned demons to fight and it certainly wasn't the king's men. The only ones desperate enough to do so had to be the wardens.

"Wardens? I can't imagine why they would do such a thing, perhaps it was some unknown third party?" second guessed Levi not willing to think the worst of his own personal heroes.

Artoria opened the next door any intent of holding back had vanished from her gaze. These demons would not suffer for long at her hands.

Shirou watched as his lover stalked down the hall heedless of them following her or not. That demon must have really gotten to her. Hopefully she would regain her balance soon.

The next door was smashed open by a small plated foot. Illya ran forward hoping to prevent Artoria from shredding another room. "Artoria please try to preserve any of the writings they may be valuable to us!" she called after the irritated woman.

The next room was as Illya had feared an archivist's room filled to the ceiling with books. Many of the spoiled with time but some might be salvageable. As with the previous rooms a welcoming party was rising slovenly from the grave, crackling bones and chattering rotted teeth filled the air. Thankfully Artoria did not release her invisible air but instead leaped forward powerfully utilizing a prana burst to take the risen dead completely by surprise.

The moment the last walking corpse was struck back to its final rest the room lit up in a fury of green fade fire. From the floor and walls came the same kind of demons they had faced previously, their fiery forms difficult to deal with under even normal circumstances never mind close quarters. Artoria struck first bisecting the first demon as it lunged for her easily, but it was not blood that sprayed over her but magma. Luckily her magic resistance didn't let it touch even her armour.

Shirou took aim with another frost based arrow and released into the next demon over as it slithered over ancient manuscripts burning them to cinders. The arrow struck the creature between its "eyes" and within moments it was flash frozen in a rigor of rage. A heavy blow two-handed blow from Artoria smashed the creature into chunks of dried ice; a well-practiced one-two combo between himself and his love.

Illya could only look on with fury as the last and largest demon slithered towards the main book cases. Not a chance in hell you monster! She wasn't going to be denied by some half-baked familiar of some idiot demon! Grasping four fast attack familiars. With a single cast she activated all four, they proceeded to bisect the creature into four separate chunks which quickly faded away, the demon no longer able to sustain its form.

She paced forward carefully between the rapidly fading chunks of ice and fade magma. The moment she placed a finger on the main manuscript in the room they were confronted with yet another vision. This time seemingly of the late archivist and his apprentice.

"The door won't hold archivist!" A young woman dressed as a warden said fearfully. The deafening thudding coming from the door indicating that a small battering ram had been drawn up.

"Almost done…the truth must be told." Was the reedy response from the ancient looking warden leaning over the main manuscript.

"What does it matter? We're all dead anyway aren't we!" half angry half resigned the young woman looked at the door readying herself for some manner of last stand.

"Our grand rebellion…so close…And to die here a stillbirth." The decrepit looking archivist moved away from the podium.

"We never should have done it! Wardens fight the blight! We don't fight battles between kings and princes! It was all the commander's doing she manipulated us!" declared the young woman as she set up some kind of fade magic placed on the slab covered floor. Perhaps a trap based spell of some kind thought Illya.

"The commander couldn't sit idly by when..." He was cut off by the door caving in. The vision vanished like a mirage before their eyes.

"That young woman…could it have been possible that my great-great-grandmother used the wardens to get back at Arland?" he was beginning to think maybe the king had been right to declare them traitors.

"It's possible but I don't doubt that Arland was a true monster the warden's wouldn't have even considered the possibility of starting a civil war otherwise." replied Illya at the curious looks of Shirou and Artoria she continued, "They generally have a reputation of upholding strict values, but involving themselves in a civil war was as the girl said a mistake."

She examined more of the tomes; they seemed to be ancient journals of various wardens if she could salvage some of them she was certain there would be some hidden lore to be discovered. This was turning out to be a most exciting and worthwhile venture!

"Let's move on I want to get to the heart of this mess" Shirou fixed his gaze on the stairs up to the second floor. It seemed they were the clean-up crew, to bad it was two centuries late.

* * *

They carefully negotiated the stairs. Shirou kept an arrow projected at all times covering their movements. After two flights they exited into a dark hall illuminated only by the ethereal green glow originating to the right of where they had entered. Across the hall was evidence of a barricade having been set up and subsequently smashed to splinters by invading forces. The green light was eerily similar to the fade fire they had already encountered so they approached warily. As they got closer they could evidence of some ritual having been carried out here.

The moment they crossed the barricade they were again audience to yet another vision of the past. This time it featured what Shirou assumed was the last stand of the keep being led by one Sophia Dryden. Apparitions of grey wardens and mages materialized behind the barricade in combat with other apparitions of the kings soldiers. Sophia Dryden stood there in the thick of it her illusionary sword wheeling with respectable skill. Beyond her Shirou could see there was a grey warden mage preforming some form of ritual exactly where the green glow was present previously.

"Make them pay for every inch, men!" Was her stern command. She squared off against a charging attacker, with a quick parry she parted the flesh at his throat. From the vision he died quickly but painfully gargling on his own blood. "Hold the flank!" she turned her gaze back to the underway ritual, "Avernus we need you!"

Avernus continued chanting in an archaic language obviously some form of aria for the ritual thought Shirou. Reaching out his hands, blood began to coil around him and with one final push fiery demons like they had already fought began to pull themselves from the ground. The demons moved forward towards the king's men, many of them took flight at the sight of something out of a nightmare.

"More Avernus! Whatever it takes!" came Sophia's urging sword held above triumphantly thinking she had won the day.

Another demon manifested this one far more powerful than the previous its dark slumped form different from any they had seen so far. With a gesture it shattered the primitive geis Avernus had cast upon it as, soon the fiery demons had also fled from Avernus' control attacking and burning wardens with impunity.

"No! I command you, fight the kings men!" he gestured with more blood hoping to rebind the creatures.

"Fool! So much death, suffering and oh yes….blood!" came the guttural voice of the demon. "The veil is torn now Avernus and your soul is mine!"

Avernus steps back in horror at his total lack of control over the situation and of the ease at which the demon had destroyed his hold. In his mind it shouldn't have been possible.

"Acolytes…retreat now. The battle is lost!" Avernus stepped back again as the demon held his gaze.

"Avernus!" Sophia Dryden cried her features collapsing in betrayal and horror. She watched as the man and several other wardens retreated leaving her alone. The apparitions faded away quickly after that.

"So now we know. The wardens were the cause of this outbreak of demons, not willing to accept the endgame their decisions had placed them in." Artoria's voice was harsh and completely unforgiving. It wasn't that she didn't respect what they had tried to do but damaging the veil she understood was a danger for generations not just for one battle. She had also learned that accepting ones actions at the end of it all was the only thing you could do, she herself had tried something similar with the Holy Grail and it had only caused her heart ache. Well…she supposed in a weird way it had allowed her to meet with Shirou. It was still damning that Sophia would rather summon demons than face death honorably.

"Demons?! My great-great-grandmother ordered demons summoned to fight Arland?" Levi's face seemed to have collapsed in sadness, believing that his ancestor really hadn't been as honorable as he had believed. He could understand summoning them to fight a blight but a _political_ battle?

There was no more time to think as the green glow exploded into the room rupturing into a flood of green wispy energy. Moments later materializing out of the green mist was a single massive enemy, it was truly monstrous in nature, several meters in height with a maw full of sharp teeth. Its form was hideous with flesh growing around the chitin in a macabre parody of armour. It howled with malicious laughter as its multiple "eyes" took in the paltry forms arrayed against it. In its pride it believed itself invincible.

Around the monstrosity four reanimated warden corpses rose and began to start enacting some manner of ritual in their own withered mashed voices. The ritual effect seemed to cover the huge demon in a protective shell of magic. It only took a glance between Artoria, Shirou and Illya to know what their roles would be. Releasing her invisible air she bludgeoned the massive demon across the hall. Its massive form smashing against wall of the keep. Under its vast bulk it crushed one of the warden chanters. One down three to go. Illya began casting high speed range attack familiars, they quickly sought out the remaining chanting corpses and either bisected them with physical force or blasted them with magic.

A beastly roar was the response of the massive demon as it pulled itself free of the damaged wall. As if called by their master two shaded forms snaked from the floor, slovenly in shape and movement. Shirou recognized them as similar in shape to the one that had confronted Avernus in the vision.

Projecting a lightning discharge arrow this time Shirou took off at a run directly at them. Reinforcing his body as far as he believed necessary he dodged the lazy sweeps of their arms before spinning on his heel. The arrow released with all the wrath of a lightning bolt. It struck the nearest demon causing a chain reaction between the two enemies, arcs of lightning discharging between them like mad bees. With a blindside attack Illya followed up with two speeding familiars from behind. The demons were helpless from the combination attack, Shirou paced forward unsheathing both Kanshou and Bakuya from his sides. Dashing headfirst both blades in a reverse grips he bisected the two demons ending their "suffering".

Artoria dodged backwards, while immensely strong this monster lacked the speed to truly make it count. As a result she could run rings around this creature if necessary. The demon seemed to know this as well as evidenced by its howling. Artoria half smiled, it wasn't laughing now. Excalibur was truly released now the invisible air which had covered it until now having dissipated for now. Deciding to go on the offensive she launched herself past the demon's chest with a prana burst. With a crash Excalibur met the demons chest in a clash of sparks and blood. Artoria met the wall feet first and pushed off like a bullet with another high speed attack this one aimed at its neck. Again unable to turn fast enough her blow met its mark.

Flipping down from her high leap she met the ground in front of the demon. She had done far less damage than she had expected however. The demon clutched its neck as black blood poured from the wounds she had given it. She frowned that should have parted its head from its shoulders.

Taking Excalibur in guard position once more, she readied her next attack. It look as if carving through its tough hide would be more difficult that she expected. This would be the first time she had been forced to use some of her true power in this world. She ignited her blade in its true form, the shining blade appeared to turn into solid golden light. She launched herself at the demon with a prana bust accompanied with a cry. With a heavy under blow she struck like lightning! The demon's chest opened from navel to neck in one single blow. A show of golden shower of light erupted over the beast, small particles that looked like fireflies cascaded from its form. The instant the blow landed it created a shock-wave that everyone present had to grit their teeth and hold to their feet to avoid a trip to the ground.

Levi watched in awe at the warrior and the weapon she wielded. He had never seen anyone move like that! With such speed and grace and not only that, half the battle had taken place in mid-air! That sword she used, she had kept it hidden mostly under what he assumed was some spell and now he could understand why. It was mesmerizing in its power and beauty. With a sudden clarity he knew this weapon had a name and it had yet to be spoken aloud in this fair land of Fereldan. He could only imagine the devastation it could unleash if this was but a taste of its power, he prayed there never would be a situation that would call for its full power.

The demon continued to scream all the way "back" to the fade. Its form and the sound of its wailing slowly disappeared from the room along with most of the angry looking green light. It left behind only languishing lethargic looking energy. There was a collective sigh in the room as all went back to silence.

"…remind me to never get on your bad side Lady Artoria that was incredible!" Levi was the first to break the silence with his awed tones.

"It was necessary if I wished to avoid cutting away at that thing for several minutes, its armour was surprisingly tough even against a weapon like my own." Artoria's matter of fact reply made Shirou sweat drop. As always so modest.

"Avernus fled through that door, it's possible that he left behind some notes before his death on what he created here by accident. We need to find them." Shirou reasoned out their next moves.

Take the lead up the stairs up Shirou came to a very strange room absolutely filled with candles, it was almost set up like some manner of shrine. Beyond the shrine was a shining door covered in a ward similar to the one they had faced at the entrance to the keep. Illya walked past him and examined the barrier.

"It's as powerful as the one from before, I should be able to break it easily but first do you want to finish clearing the rooms? Before we proceed?" Illya questioned. Shirou thought it would be best to make sure there wouldn't be any more enemies waiting to ambush them from behind before continuing.

"I think that would be for the best, the less left around her to surprise us the better." Shirou gestured for Artoria to take the left hand door as he projected an arrow. The door opened with a clack, no immediate ghoulish attack that was good…that was always good. Artoria advanced into the room carefully fully alert. Shirou and the rest of the group followed after a moment.

It wasn't walking corpses or demons no it was far stranger. There was a _person_ standing with their back to them. As they approached the armour the person was wearing became very familiar as the set of massive armour that Sophia Dryden had worn during the battle; it was rotted and damaged but still recognizable. With a sharp movement the person turned with a command on _her_ lips.

"Come no further!" a strange double sound emanated within this woman's voice. More specifically _Sophia Dryden's_ voice.

"Incredible! A true example of demonic possession! After all these years? How is your body still in one piece?" Illya's cascade of questions rose like a tide over the tense situation.

"-Get this annoyance away from me! This one would speak with you…" Illya's bouncy mood died instantly. Her eyes turned into slits, nobody dismisses her like that!

"Onii-chan I say we burn it with fire!" Everyone sweated at the sudden mood reversal.

"Who or what are you foul creature" Artoria's clipped tones seizing control of the conversation. Illya rolled her eyes everyone already knew what this _thing _was.

"This one is the Dryden, commander, Sophia all of these things." It sounded amused at the question.

"Grandmother? …" Levi looked completely thrown by this, he had never expected to come face to face with the talking corpse of his ancestor. The demon continued on as if Levi hadn't spoken.

"You have slain many of the demon ilk to get here. This one would propose a deal." Illya sighed and concentrated on the bonfire she wanted the creature to burn in…but all those books. Okay so she wouldn't burn the mad creature alive…dead…whatever.

"Levi I believe your grandmother is possessed." Stated Shirou completely deadpan. Was it dead or alive was the question Shirou really wanted to ask. Either way this thing had to go.

"That or she's really let herself go…My great-great grandmother is dead I don't know what that is." Levi turned back to look at the creature that had stolen his ancestors body.

"Enough, this makes a mockery of Sophia Dryden. I will not allow this to continue! Leave the physical plane now and release that body!" Artoria leveled Excalibur in a guard and advanced forward, ready to grant the warden commander her final and true rest.

"Then you are useless to this one! Die!" The creature drew its sword and shield and charged Artoria. Then and there Shirou decided that the ex-warden commander wasn't terribly smart…or at least her demon possessed body wasn't.

They met in a clash of steel. Excalibur was barely being held back by the tarnished ancient shield. Between Artoria's skill and the possessed Sophia Dryden there was no contest. Parrying a few desperate shambling strokes from the demon Artoria ended the demon's ability fight by smashing the blade away. Artoria quickly lunged with Excalibur's tip directly aimed at Sophia's chest plate. The ancient armour was easily pierced by the holy blade, the tip reached the withered still beating heart of Sophia Dryden.

"Rest in peace Sophia Dryden, your body is now at rest." Artoria rested the body on the ground and slowly removed her blade with dignity. She would not wish this fate on her worst enemy to be defiled after your death in such a manner it was terrible.

"Thank you for that my Lady, you did the Dryden's proud there." A slight watering of his eyes present. He might not have known her personally but she had been one of his ancestors to see her body desecrated like that.

Illya walked past the corpse only wishing she could somehow burn it completely away without offending Levi. Searching the table she found what looked like a journal and it was intact! A few moments of reading later made it clear that this journal was rather damning for Commander Dryden.

She had intentionally taken control of the wardens here with the intent of turning them on Arland in her spite. The young woman in the archivist room vision had been correct. For someone of Sophia's charisma it had been an easy task to rise through the Warden ranks. She had inflamed the situation by contacting the Couslands of Highever in an attempt to form a rebel army. Arland however had come down on them like a ton of bricks before that could happen. However bad a tyrant Arland had been Sophia's motivations had still been less than pure in the end.

"Sorry Levi." She handed him the journal with a sad look. A few minutes later he also shared her expression. "Thank you Illya, I suppose I already knew it in my heart. What with her orders to summon demons."

Finished in the warden commander's quarters they returned to the shrine room. The barrier covered door had been released it seemed that someone had noticed that they had disposed of the late commander Dryden. Illya had already supposed that they had been powered by someone or something wanting to keep the demons sealed in.

The protected door opened onto the bridge they had seen on the way up. Across it awaited the tall mages tower where it was supposed the final piece of the puzzle was hidden.

* * *

Crossing the bridge had been an even colder affair than Shirou had expected, the temperature was far lower higher up than it had been at the base of the keep. Not to mention the ice that made it treacherous. Entering the warm tower at the end was a welcome relief. The tower also looked well taken care of, not nearly as abandoned as the rest of the keep had been. A few cobwebs here and there but nothing as obvious as the near centimeter of dust they had seen elsewhere.

Thankfully there were no other corpses popping up to say hello to them as they journeyed up the stairs. Shirou kept a seeker arrow ready if they needed to target anything in the cramped and awkward stairwell.

Entering the first room of the top level of the tower He was confronted with an image which was not at all expected. A room that looked like it had been used for gruesome experiments of unknown nature. Old blood stains dotted the area with _cages_ hanging from the ceiling. At the very center of it all, up against the wall stood an alchemy work station of sorts with various vials and concoctions on display. Illya approached from behind him and equally horrified expression on her face before she focused.

What caught Illya's interest was the large tome filled with various short hand. Lab notes she had to guess. Flipping through them she was glad she wasn't confronted by some mad fade induced vision. Shirou kept a wary watch on the surroundings now would be the perfect time to attack with one of their number occupied. He could see Artoria was doing the same.

The more she read the more she was convinced that this _man_ was in fact magi from their home dimension. This man Avernus had taken the few Warden survivors and used them in his experiments to determine the true "nature" of the blight. The clinical way he talked about the "subjects" fellow Wardens he had fought with been _friends _with. He had killed them all eventually.

"This man…This Avernus he killed the warden survivors in his experiments to discover the true nature of the blight." Her voice betrayed her horror. Shirou frowned that sounded very much like something an earth magus would do given half a chance. Artoria grimaced, Morgan le Fay her own sister had performed similar acts during her years of rule but had always eluded capture. Levi just felt sick, this keep…it was a place filled with horrors.

Intending to confront the man the Shirou led the group into the main hall. It was huge with massive bay windows reaching high up to the ceiling allowing plenty of light in. Along the floor were various…pits. It was a mystery to them why such pits were constructed but Shirou had a feeling that those bones at the bottom of them weren't for show. This man was dangerous that was certain.

The figure at the end of the room had his back to them. He wore a long faded set of mage robes quite different from the Warden uniform he had been wearing during the visions. The figure turned. Avernus was now an old man of advanced age, his face lined and cracked by the many years between the visions and now. His eyes still sharp after all these years sought them out.

"Ah I've been expecting someone…or something. Please come in, make yourself welcome" the thin wisp of a man trotted down the stairs quite nimbly for his immense age. The blood mage that preformed the rituals that sundered the veil was still alive and kicking. "It has been too long since I have had company you see, nothing but interminable focus on keeping the barriers up"

"You killed your fellow wardens! How could you do that? It's wrong! Wait minute how are you still alive?!" Shirou started as Illya's comments childishly burst from her, out of her control. Sometimes he wished she was more in control of herself Shirou internally sigh

"Ah…A mere child? _You_ are the one that brought down my outer defenses? I see you have also read my research. It all happened a long time ago long before any of you were likely even born. When I was a younger more foolish man" Avernus developed a wistful expression, his old eyes wandering away to the proverbial horizon. "My only purpose has been to keep the demons in for so long that I had begun to lose track."

"Its…It's been two hundred years since the keep fell." Came Levi's hesitant reminder. Shirou noticed the merchant fidgeted in place not quite sure what to make of the man.

"So it has…Boy you have done well in bringing reinforcements. Though not the ones I wished, still they performed admirably!" Avernus praised a rather confused Levi. Shirou's eyes narrowed, Levi was supposed to _lead _someone to this hellhole?

"What? What do you mean? I've never been here before, how could you even know me?" Avernus sighed, "I implanted the suggestion of finding the evidence you so wanted. Set you on the path to finding the wardens or anyone to help you in that task."

Artoria watched sadly as Levi had a momentary meltdown of wondering what was his own motivation or Avernus' implanted compulsion. This Avernus, he needed to suffer the consequences of what he had done and help make it right.

"Your question on how I have survived all this time little girl: My own mastery over blood magic has allowed me to extend the life of this sad old shell far beyond its normal limits." He stared at his withered hands with an almost chiding look. Shirou frowned such unnatural abilities did not come without _cost_ to yourself or someone else.

"As for my research, it was into the darkspawn taint something everyone should be interested in even if a blight has not yet come." He began to pace back and forth, "The keep fell because blood magic _comes _from demons therefore they could counter every ounce of lore I could throw at them! Only with superior power and lyrium can you bind them properly."

"However the darkspawn taint is different to the demons it is completely _alien_ to them. They do not know how to fight it or break its bonds." He stopped pacing eyes became sharp with focus as he turned to face them, "I noted earlier when you came into my sphere of perception that you also had the same feeling upon you. All three of you feel just as alien as the darkspawn taint!"

"My question to you would be…what are you exactly?"

It was at that moment that Illya had a revelation. Alien…._alien_…that had to be it! The darkspawn corruption was alien in nature. Not necessarily alien in the sense that they themselves were, which was by the virtue of being cast here by some rogue second magic. What else was alien? TYPES alien beings from within the solar system. Perhaps the taint was some manner of alien plague or perhaps a curse laid upon the world. Or maybe it was extra dimensional….Arghh. It was certainly beginning to make a great deal more sense than before. But how was it connected to the worlds counter force? Or was it even connected at all? Perhaps a simple directive was all it was, find old god then kill everything. It just so happened to coincide with what she imagined the worlds counter force would wish.

Illya sighed, a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place but it still left more questions than it answered.

"Travelers that is all you need to know at the moment." Shirou "answered", he trusted this Avernus about as far as he could throw him...which might be pretty far all things considered. All humor aside this man needed to face his own actions. If it was possible he would seal the veil and then pay for his crimes _today._

"Hmph, I suppose you wish to finish this now; seal the veil and then do away with me? Don't look so surprised I am well aware of your prowess and how far it exceeds my own in my old age." Avernus looked very tired at this moment. Shirou still didn't pity him he had worked terrible evil on others for research that may not even be valuable to anyone in the long run.

"You will seal the veil and then you will answer for you crimes in the way we see fit." Artoria was like steel her expression unyielding. This is what would happen whether or not Avernus agreed.

The old man quickly acquiesced to the flinty tone knowing he had little to no chance against these people.

* * *

Shirou led the return to the ritual site in the main keep. He watched as his lover took up prisoner watch following the decrepit old man back to the keep. She didn't trust him a whit and rightfully so, until they could guarantee his actions he would remain a danger to them all.

Avernus started to repair the veil as soon as they arrived. He walked directly into the green miasmic mist of energy. He flexed his withered hands like a pianist about to play again for the first time in years. The green energies bounced about with his gestures as he began to weave the veil whole again.

"Be ready demons will likely come through when they realize the veil is being strengthened again!"

Standing ready Shirou glanced at his companions. Illya conjured her familiars straight away, two golems stood on either side of Avernus as an escort as he walked through the dangerous combat zone. Shirou readied his bow and projected a powerful explosive arrow ready to attack whatever appeared out of the rift first. Artoria stood with Excalibur at the ready invisible air swirling around it presenting the odd image of her holding nothing in her hands.

The first two creatures out of the rift were more of the droopy shade type, slithering out of the portal they were stuck by two mid-level explosive arrows one after the other. The sound was deafening but the effect was excellent both creatures were blown apart instantly. Shirou smirked he really did need to buy Illya a present for these beauties.

More creatures began to manifest this time with more variety. Three shades and two more fiery demons manifested out of the rift. Artoria dashed towards the fiery demons knowing that her magic resistance would protect her from their deaths. Shirou glanced at Illya and signaled to her; in unison they separated and relocated for maximum effect. With perfect crossfire they systematically destroyed the three shades with arrows and familiar attacks.

Artoria slashed apart the fire demons completely ignoring their attempts to burn her. She focused back on the battle not willing to let anything catch her by surprise. Avernus continued his ritual still pacing with absolute concentration through the green mist the familiar guards still following him. Shirou and Illya were equally space apart maximizing their cross fire potential. Artoria smiled they really did work well together.

More enemies manifested, this time they included what appeared to be a horned _succubus _they had those here? Artoria pulled herself from her thoughts and charged the creature. It seemed to be primarily magically inclined attempting to charm her or blast her with magic. This was, as it soon found out, completely useless. Spells of that level _pinged_ off her magic resistance with little to no effect. In a moment Artoria was inside the creatures guard. Its remarkably human face expressed horrified dumbfounded disbelief. It lasted but a moment before Artoria's sword found its chest. The demon quickly faded away back to the immaterial from whence it came.

Shirou finished the last few enemies with elemental attacks he was tired. Today had been a long day with a great deal of spell casting involved. Illya looked much the same though she seemed to be faring better than himself considering her deeper reserves of power.

He took note of the green veil mist that Avernus was weaving, a last few gestures and reality _jerked _back to normalcy. The green wisps of power were sucked into the cracks of reality as they faded away completely. Avernus nearly buckled to his knees the breach has been far larger than he had anticipated.

"It is done…finally. The spirits of this dead keep can rest now." Avernus turned away from the ritual center and stood before them. "Your sentence proclaim it…after all I'm not getting any younger."

Artoria gestured for the party to confer privately it would be rude to discuss a man's fate right before his own eyes after all. Standing ten paces or more back from him they considered the issue.

"We could turn him over to the Templars…he is a blood mage after all…" was Levi's half committed comment, he personally wasn't sure what to say he had never decided a person's fate before. No matter how deplorable his actions were he wasn't sure he wanted any part of it.

"No, I've seen what the chantry does to people like Avernus it would be a waste of material. He could be useful to us. He is a grey warden and likely knows some of their inner most secrets…." Illya returned, already drumming up ideas for them to get the most out of the situation.

"I agree death is too easy for a man such as him. He must be made to pay some recompense for his actions here though what it form…I am unsure." It wasn't often that Shirou would see Artoria so unsure on what to do but this was one of those times. Had she secretly hated this part of ruler-ship judging traitors or criminals?

Shirou considered the issue before them, obviously they couldn't let him go back to that tower to continue doing who knows what. But they also couldn't "force" him to abide by anything they decided here either. But maybe…he turned to Illya a question on his lips.

"Illya would it be possible to create a contract between yourself and Avernus? To force his compliance with any orders you might have?" Her expression became thoughtful, "It's possible…but only if he agrees to the contract I might be able to force it upon him with my eyes of mystic binding but…he is a powerful blood mage its likely he could throw off my control."

"Then his sentence will be to serve you in all the capacities you see fit. Through that he might finally do some good under your direction. You won't force him to do anything stupid now will you?" Shirou's gaze was sharp as it was discerning on Illya.

"Of course not Onii-chan! I'll take good care of him!" he eyes were wide with a completely innocent bearing…somehow it didn't fill him with confidence. He sighed it really was all they had other than letting him go or just plain killing him.

They returned to Avernus. The man's gaze was searching but he didn't look like a man standing on the precipice of death or freedom. He was…acceptant of whatever fate threw at him it seemed. His old eyes sought out Shirou and then Artoria, obviously wondering which would proclaim his "sentence". Artoria looked to Shirou and nodded forward, personally not really wanting any part in dispensing punishment if she could help it.

"Avernus you stand guilty of research far beyond any ethical boundary that is generally accepted in this world. Therefor it is only right that you suffer the consequences of your actions. We have decided that you will not be allowed to run free but neither will we turn you over to the Templars. Illya here has chosen to grant you "mercy" by binding you as her as a servant to ensure you make some small restitution for your crimes."

Avernus frowned "bind" him to the girl was that even possible? Blood magic granted the ability to control its subjects but it only bound them as long as you had power to expend. To bind another mage expended a great deal of magic power and focus as powerful as she was to his senses he wasn't sure the girl could do what she appeared to claim. The girl stood before him and locked _glowing _eyes on him and raised her hand palm facing him fingers outstretched.

"By the command of the clan of Einzbern bind this one Avernus till his death to the command of one Illya von Einzbern. Should this oath be accepted the target will be bound without exception and our command shall become commandment!"

Avernus was mesmerized…no paralyzed he could feel _something _pulling at his entire being. This was not magic in the sense he understood it. This was something else entirely. His voice rang out half strangled as he agreed to the terms. After all it was better than death.

"I ac-accept", he fell to his knees buckling under the immense pressure being brought to bare on his entire being. A moment later the feeling vanished leaving only a remnant of the suffocating power he had just witnessed. His eyes focused upwards as he looked directly into that girls eyes. She _smiled _what manner of demon had he just agreed to serve?!

"Good now return to the tower I will be along shortly to interrogate you on warden mysteries." The moment her command was given he felt an irresistible compulsion to complete it. He had no doubt he would return and sit patiently for her arrival for hours or even the rest of his life. It seemed he was just as foolish as his younger self had been.

Illya watched as her new pet left promptly, no doubt completely under the thrall of her command. Wooh what a rush, it would be hard to avoid that feeling going to her head. Shirou watched concerned at Illya's expression it looked entirely too much like a cat that had gotten the proverbial cream.

"Well now that's finished with what now? This keep…nobody wants it or they would have bothered to reclaim it before now. I suppose you will be heading back to Denerim soon?" Levi continued as they walked out of the keep at a reasonable pace. Even as awful as everything that had gone on here it would be an excellent location for a trade outpost. Perhaps his family could use it as a base of operations for their trading.

"It does seem that way…" Shirou frowned as he kept pace with Levi. Returning to Denerim that brought up some familiarly troubling thoughts.

He had been thinking for some time that while their actions had indeed helped people it simply brought more problems out of the wood work. As evidenced by the literal hedgehog appearance the charter board had taken on in Denerim. Once people knew that someone was willing to actually help them rather than just focus on the high paying nobles or wealthy patrons they soon had a deluge of requests on their hands.

He foresaw it only getting worse as word got out. There was no way that only he, Artoria and even Illya working together and taking separate jobs could make any kind of dent. Many jobs were time sensitive as well so it was a race against time. Back home he had never really had an idea what being an "Ally of Justice" would actually mean. To him the sheer overwhelming nature of the task was nearly heart breaking.

If only they could find help, others like themselves that would take up some of the responsibility…wait…that was it! A place where people with similar ideals could meet! This keep while it had a dark history it could form the core of a new brighter future. He realized it now, alone he could never become a true Ally of Justice he could only reach for the unreachable. With Artoria walking beside him joining their strength together they had been able to do that little bit more to reach further towards that impossible goal. That had to mean something!

They exited out into the courtyard. It was the early morning of the day after. They had fought right on through the night. Shirou smiled the sun and broken through the heavy mist surrounding the keep bathing the area in its warmth. The snow glistened with new ice melt.

"I've just had an idea and I want you to listen. The requests back home in Denerim, we are right now more or less doing them out of our own need to help people. The money doesn't really matter anymore what with Illya bringing in most of our coin." Shirou looked at Artoria, she dipped her head she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she stood idly by with all of her power.

"We will never be able to help everyone if we keep going on as we have so far. With the numbers of requests we get it's just impossible to deal with. We end up having to choose the most desperate ones and that means someone will go without help." Shirou looked down at the sludge the snow was slowly becoming, his eyes refocused on them. "I can't stand that, it's not what we set out to do; decide who lives and who dies on the virtue of not having _time_ to deal with it all?"

"The answer is really simple: We need help. To help others." He continued with a determined set expression, "This keep, I want to turn it into a place where like-minded people like us can come together and join forces to help everyone! To deal with the requests that are going unanswered out there."

Artoria smiled faintly this was very nostalgic to her in a way. Camelot had been an example of trying to do the same. Her knights brought together to serve Briton and her people. But she had failed as a leader, failed to connect with them as a human being. She hadn't realized that being a leader didn't mean being the king at all times it was far more than that. Perhaps separating their dream from statecraft was the key…focus on saving and helping people. But what would happen when people were threatened by war between kings or nobles? What then? Involvement was inevitable.

"Shirou if we founded an organisation here what's to stop us from being bound up by politics? The history of this keep speaks a dark truth here, the grey wardens involved themselves and they paid the price." Artoria's concerns were very valid.

"Your right it would be difficult perhaps even impossible to avoid. But as with all dreams you can't give up on them! You have to keep reaching even if the path seems impossible to find!" Shirou so wanted Artoria to believe this was possible…no she _needed _to believe it was possible.

"What would this organisation do exactly? Run requests? Help those in need?" Levi was honestly a bit confused, they wanted to turn the keep into the foundation of a new order or something? Like the grey wardens?

"Partly yes but I would hope that in the future we could provide aide to the sick and poor. Perhaps even help people evacuate from wars; avoid the politics and help the people directly as best we can." Shirou continued, "It would also be a place where people that have similar ideals can train and expand their strength."

"Sort of like an order of heroes?" questioned Levi still partly puzzled. Shirou noticed Artoria's eyes picked up at that. An association of heroes coming together to work for their ideals. It was a seductive idea. Illya watched with an indulgent expression, Onii-chan was going on about his dreams again. She sighed, she would help of course it wasn't even in question!

"I wouldn't define it as something as solid as an "order" that sounds to strict….it's more like a Heroes Association!" Shirou brightened on hitting the name. Illya sighed as she palmed her forehead, did he literally just have to take the Mages Association and replace one of the words….Oh Onii-chan.

"If you want to avoid political machinations from the Banns or Teyrns then you're going to have to look elsewhere for funding. Everyone wants something so you will have to pick and choose who you work with." Levi thought pensively, "I suppose I could appeal directly to the Merchants Guild, after all there wasn't much to reward you with here and I hardly own the keep myself. You might even be able to set up an arrangement with the dwarves of Orzammar as well…but you will need to make a big scene they won't take you seriously otherwise. I guess that would mean committing some deed or other to get their attention."

"If you really intend on doing this another thing you will need to eventually do is buy the keep from the Wardens. After all the do own it. We can keep it secret for now but they will find out sooner or later. I suppose you could negotiate with them for its use." Levi continued to frown pensively as he considering the options available.

"You know what I'll return to Denerim and see if I get dig up some of my family to help in restoring the keep to a liveable condition. We can set up a small trading outpost in the meantime as well. I'll be back within the week. Good bye for now and thank you for all the help!" He waved off as he started the long trek back down from the keep to the main road where they had left their horses. Shirou watched as he paused a moment and stared back, "This keep might be the site of the Dryden shame but it can also be one of their greatest contributions. Make me believe it!" He continued down the winding road with a wave.

"Well I'll be in the keep getting as many answers out of Avernus as I can. If you need me you know where to find me…it's past the dozen corpses!" Illya declared brightly as she trotted off to the keep outer doors already thinking about all the different things she could learn from the two century old man.

Shirou smiled it seemed they had work to do to bring this idea into reality. He couldn't stand the thought of returning to the status-quo they had been dealing with previously it had literally gotten to the point where that were inundated with requests. What ever happened next he knew for certain that he was on the correct path to fulfilling his own dreams and helping Artoria rediscover her own. But first he needed to get a tent made up!

**Author Note: **

Woah that took some doing, it's taken me longer due to its massive proportions I tell you the plot notes themselves took a whole day to complete ending up at 4.2k in length =_= jeez this is getting stupid lol. I was thinking about separating it into two chapters but I couldn't really find a good place to do it. So you get one giant chapter of stupid size.

Don't expect me to release another chapter for a couple of days after this I have to gather my frazzled wits. There are probably mistakes in here even after I read it over. Later if I get the chance I will go through the whole story with a fine tooth comb.

So please tell me what you think of how things are going. Shirou wants to start a Heroes Association geared towards helping heroes do hero stuff :p Artoria still has misgivings about the whole idea and Illya is having fun interrogating Avernus and thinking about dressing him up in costumes. As I said Levi will be a cool guy for them to have in their team providing logistical support. Not to mention the Drydens are a seriously talented bunch!

Overall I wasn't so sure my writing was consistent all the way through as it took several days to write. If you feel it got better or worse please tell me. Personally I felt I was flagging before the end, most of which was written late last night while exhausted.

Okay did some revising hope everyone likes a hopefully "Slightly" improved version of the chapter.

**Next chapter:** Small time skip and then we shall see if Shirou and the gang can get stubborn dwarves to listen to them!


	7. Trip to Orzammar, Illya's Admirer?

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Author Pre-notes: **Some answers to guest reviews. Come on guys log in :p

Ben1: Illya uses wish craft and she has the mystic eyes of binding. She can literally side step all the complicated magecraft and say a whole load of rubbish and it will still work as a geis. That's how ha her powers are. But I've countered that by making it a highly taxing concentration wise form of magic. Rin for example formed a geis magical contract on the run during the Holy Grail war so it's not so unusual to create these contracts off the cuff.

Ben2: Indeed Artoria is very powerful but I'm going to be solving that issue in the coming chapters. Mostly…It won't be nerfing so don't worry about that but let's just say the blights are going to get that little bit more complicated.

Poerium: One-punch man ftw! That's actually what I was thinking of when I did it :p It's supposed to be ridiculous as it's a perfectly Shirou like idea. It also ties a lot in with the ideas that Naruto propagate: that working together can bring dreams to fruition. If everyone works hard together you really could accomplish anything. The trouble is getting them to do it :p.

**Chapter Seven: Trip to Orzammar, Illya's Admirer?**

Illya strolled along the high bridge between the main keep proper and _her _magus tower. Her heavy coat traded for a light white dress and slippers in the summer "heat". She leaned against the barrier looking down on the keep courtyard where she could see Onii-chan and Artoria sparring. Her eyes tried to follow their movements but were far too fast for her; she honestly couldn't believe how strong he was getting. It seemed only yesterday he couldn't project anything with any reliability. Now he could project and mimic Archer's sword skills with his weapons, the same was true for Artoria's Caliburn much to the prior owners chagrin. Illya smirked Onii-chan had always surprised her with his persistence, it was true during the Holy Grail War and it was true now.

It had been a month since they had liberated Soldier's Keep. In that time so much had changed it was hard to keep track of. Levi had been good to his word and had arrived a week later with his nephew Mikan and brother Mikhael, alongside them they had brought a small party of builders to help make the keep liveable. Mikhael was a "rogue" blacksmith seemingly on the run from someone, he never would say who or even what no matter how press. Illya thought the guy was full of it, but she couldn't deny he was amazing at the forge. Mikan was a "good boy" putting up with his father's eccentricities and helping as best he could around the forge, to Illya he was _utterly _boring.

The builders had worked fast and within a few days the keep was cleared out and stripped bare of rotten or spoiled furniture and supplies. Avernus hadn't been pleased that they were "messing up" his keep but she shut him up with threats of pulling out a certain costume again. She took great pleasure in tormenting him with trivial requests like, "wear this please" or "dance like a chicken", she would make certain he would pay for his transgressions one way or another! If it happened to amuse her...well that was payment for her public service!

Onii-chan had spent much of that time setting up lines of communication between them and the chantry charters. If anyone that posts a message a copy gets sent to Soldier's keep. It wasn't an easy to set up as it also required him to inform the chantry of his intentions, for the most part the reverent mothers had been positive if not indulgent of the idea. It still cost them to organize and the chantry took their sweet "donation" as part of the bargain. Always it was money that everyone wanted; they were lucky she was so good at making people give her theirs.

Moving home had been a difficult prospect but it had been made far easier with Levi's help. He had lent one of his carts to help transfer their belongings in Denerim. They hadn't had much but the content of "her" workshop. Selling the house had helped set up some of the starting capital to start renovations around the keep. Just paying the builders to clear the place had set them back a pretty penny. If only Onii-chan would let her mind-control them all of this would be _soo _much easier!

Illya looked away from the spar as it continued; staring back up at her magus tower she thought about the mysteries that she had forced Avernus to yield to her. Archdemons _couldn't_ be killed without a grey warden. They would simply body hop to the nearest darkspawn and possess a new body. It would take time to reconstitute the dragon form but it would happen. It was what brought the world to its knees during the first era. A time when magic was arguable far stronger and when the dwarves were some of the most advanced people on Thedas.

It was desperation that had brought about the creation of the grey wardens after numerous battles where they had slain the Archdemon. They had finally drank of the creature's blood thereby forging a connection between themselves and the taint _within _the Archdemon. The next time they slew the dragon the "grey warden" to finish the beast absorbed the creature's essence and died, the old god spirit going with him. It answered many questions as to why it was always a grey warden and not some unaffiliated hero or heroine that slew the corrupted dragon.

Avernus had been a fount of information regarding the fade and its properties. Apparently the spirits of the fade had absolutely no knowledge regarding darkspawn or the maker. That meant that the tale that the taint came from the black city and the fade was probably a total fabrication. It also meant that it was likely that the maker didn't exist as some immaterial spirit either otherwise the fade denizens would know of him or it. Her idea of the taint being a completely alien thing to the face of Thedas was taking root.

The big question was how were old gods connected to the taint if it was an alien creation? From what Avernus told her the darkspawn would seek out and corrupt an old god which would then awaken as an Archdemon. Until that point the darkspawn would remain a dangerous but mostly instinctive force. Smart mage type "emissaries" could control large numbers of the darkspawn but not enough to truly be a threat. Only an Archdemon could press its will across the entire population and turn them into an army.

Illya turned back as she heard the portcullis receding into the gate house a trio of traders and their mules pulling into the courtyard. Onii-chan's spar drew to a halt as he greeted and directed them to Levi who was taking care of the logistics of running the keep within one of the outbuildings.

Setting up Soldier's Peak as a small trading post had been a surprising success due to the general lack of oversight from Arl or Teryn. It made a desirable location to trade what with the nascent presence of the "Heroes Association" watching over it and the general lack of red tape. Artoria had concerns over possible smuggling cropping up but so far it seemed the criminals had decided to stay away for now. Illya supposed that they had probably heard that "Blue Saber" had set up shop here and decided not to risk their necks.

Illya was shivered, she sauntered her way into the keep proper. It was still very bare but the fires were kept lit so it stayed as warm as you could expect an ancient keep could be. Onii-chan was still deciding what to do next regarding the so called "Heroes Association". Levi had helped a lot in the short term as his family were wealthy and he truly did believe it was a venture worth exploring. Besides he was making a tidy profit on the trading they were doing here.

Levi had set up some discussions with the Merchant's guild, they had gone well but it was purely conditional support. Essentially they stated that they would support the Association with exclusive jobs contracts if they could prove that the venture was looking promising. That meant they wanted to know that there were more than three members to this movement and more gold than just their own backing it. It was an approach that Levi had expected them to take. The "Wait and see" approach. It also meant that they still needed someone to take that first step in funding them. This left two groups that they could approach. The Fereldan Nobility and the Dwarves of Orzammar.

Illya had read about and watched King Cailan as he roamed about his palace. He was a man possessed by the glory of past heroes and their adventures, to him his father King Maric was larger than life. Maric going missing had pushed Cailan further into his pursuit of "heroism" believing that he had to match his father to be a good king. His wife Queen Anora seemed to possess a platonic relationship with the man; Illya had not once seen them couple during all the time they had been at Denerim. He did however seem to bounce around from woman to woman in short liaisons. Regardless it may be possible that they could conjure up some funding from him if approached correctly but it would push them into the spot light too quickly.

It was just a question of who to approach first and if they did indeed wish to. Illya was confident that they could manipulate Cailan easily if they already had the support of dwarven gold. He would be "forced" into helping them to avoid looking cheap to his subjects. Not that it would be needed, he would likely jump at the chance to fund a "Heroes Association" within the borders of his own nation. His support could likely be gained "no strings" attached apart from the added attention of having a monarch fund them directly.

Illya sat down in the only fully furnished part of the keep, the kitchen -Onii-chan's sacred grounds. He had recreated his stoves and equipment from home, just in a far larger set up. She frowned while ripping pieces of bread from a hard roll and eating the tit bits.

The hard part in that plan was getting the dwarves to support them. The question was "how" to do it. There were several ways open to them, one appeal to the king. However that could only be done after impressing the dwarves and that could only be done by venturing into the deep roads. The deep roads were essentially the ancient remnants of the underground highway that had connected the original dwarf empire of "thaigs"; cities and towns was the nearest translation Illya supposed. Currently however it was home to the darkspawn horde, their breeding grounds and their natural habitat when a blight wasn't underway. Deep down below that however were the truly primeval passageways, likely the hidden places where the old gods slumbered. Or at least that was what Avernus believed.

Two gain a Paragon's attention. The second relied on there being a "living" Paragon and current lore did not seem to indicate that there was one. Up to date information would be needed which could only be gotten in Orzammar itself, the dwarves were notoriously xenophobic over outsiders unless they had something to offer them hence why the information wasn't commonly available.

Illya started from her thoughts as she heard the door clack closed, she turned and suddenly the top of her head was ruffled by a gentle hand. She smiled up at her brother. She was glad she could honestly say she loved him with all of her heart. She knew he would always take care of her just like Berserker had before.

"Onii-channn…" she pouted soothing her hair back. He laughed lightly a twinkly sound that made her heart surge in joy.

"Ohayou Illya! Sleep well?" he pulled off his chest armour and placed it on a chair. Illya watched as he started to prepare some eggs for them on the hot stove.

"Mmm! I've been thinking a lot about what we could do in Orzammar. You know about the Paragons right?" at Shirou's confused glance she continued, "Oops sorry I forgot I hadn't mentioned "what" they were only that they were important." She smiled as she organized her thoughts and continued with an explanation.

"First you have to know that Dwarves don't worship gods, they venerate their Ancestors. These Ancestors are usually the named "Paragons" which form their own noble houses. They personified some aspect of dwarven society so completely as to awe others. Be it warrior arts, politics or even poetic rhyming, literally anything could get a dwarf named a Paragon as long as it was either beneficial or culturally enriching on a grand scale." Onii-chan set down some breakfast in front of her as he continued making Artoria's portion.

Illya glanced again as the door once again clacked shut. Artoria strolled in wearing a much understated dress of simple design, it was once again blue. Was it her favourite colour or something Illya thought with exasperation? She went up to Onii-chan and kissed him on the cheek giving him a small smile before accepting her breakfast. The smile he gave her couldn't have been larger; the two of them had been much more affectionate since their time together in Denerim that much Illya knew. Illya shied away from thinking about that stuff and continued after Artoria started devouring her meal with zest.

"…What we are interested in is _what_ Paragons can do. They are kings in all but name capable of wielding immense influence within dwarven society. If we could get a Paragon on side with us, it would make what we are needing a paltry request." Illya smirked her eyes popping open as she finished the last of her breakfast.

"I believe we can _create _a Paragon…we know things that no one here in this world has knowledge of. Skills, inventions. If I can find a dwarf amenable to my influence we really could create a Paragon that would not only be dependent on us somewhat but would also be grateful to us!"

"That sounds dishonorable manipulating someone like that…" Illya sighed at Artoria sometimes her sensibilities were just so finicky. The blond woman had also finished her breakfast and was starting on her seconds much to Onii-chan's amusement. His gaze returned to her his expression pensive.

"It does sound underhanded, I would prefer some other way to gain favor; I want to help the dwarves not manipulate their society." His tone spoke resolve and determination much to Illya's anger.

"It's not like they don't benefit massively out of the arrangement! Fine…if you and Artoria want to find some other way to do this then you're welcome to try when we get there!" Illya huffed…stupid Onii-chan and his girlfriend ganging up on her. She stood up quickly and ran for the stairs willing her shining eyes not to be seen.

* * *

Shirou watched Illya run up the stairs in flight. He sighed he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings on the matter, he couldn't deny that her plan might very well work but he couldn't agree with it in principle. He preferred an upfront approach. Gain the dwarves support through some deed of valor and get the attention of their king. To him that was a fairer option to all those concerned. They didn't _need _to manipulate their entire society.

He had already arranged it with Levi that tomorrow they would be leaving for Orzammar. With Avernus here and ordered to protect the keep from any invaders of ill intent towards Levi and his family he felt safe leaving them for an extended period of time.

"I'm sorry Shirou…I shouldn't have been so a harsh on Illya. Please don't feel the need to agree with me…it was a good plan." Artoria's softly spoken voice sounded by his elbow. He shook his head his eyes focused on his breakfast, it wasn't her fault they were of one mind on this. In many ways he had grown to be more like Artoria after their connection had begun to grow deeper. He had no problem with attacking from a position of strength but somehow using their superior knowledge of future technologies to manipulate the dwarves just didn't sit right with him.

"It's okay…it's not your fault I sometimes forget that she is still a child in many ways…" His eyes darkened, Avalon had not fixed the problem as he hoped. Concerning her maturity there was nothing technically "wrong", her body was the way it was supposed to be. It could freeze her aging and grant her a normal life for a time but it would keep her frozen in this child-like limbo for the rest of her life. She never would grow up, and Shirou had a feeling that Illya knew this sad truth.

"…Well its best to leave her for now, we have full day of preparations with Levi, he's getting a cart together with any supplies we might need." Shirou was hopeful this would turn out well. It was likely that they would encounter darkspawn for the first time, from what he had heard while monstrous they shouldn't have too much trouble with them. Still preparation was the key to any successful operation.

* * *

Illya stared at the Frostback Mountains as they grew to glower over them. They were foreboding with their snow covered peaks, looking lonely and isolated even amongst their fellows. She was half hid under the waxed leather covers of the cart, the pitter patter of rain drowning out the sound of most everything else. The weather was rotten, it had been half a day since they set off when the rain had started and it hadn't let up the entire way. Illya could swear that her dress and coat had been soaked through several times already. They were lucky it was a warm shower and they weren't in danger of hypothermia.

Looking ahead she could see Onii-chan and Artoria sitting side by side at the reins guiding the horse through the dreary weather. Even just looking at their waxed leather covered forms she could tell how glum both of them were. The warm weather hadn't lasted long before it had given way to the notorious Fereldan weather.

It was another hour into the mountains before Illya started to see some life. Stalls set up along the foot of the mountain cliffs, some selling dwarven wears the others from Antiva and Fereldan. Traders it seemed really did get everywhere and would endure any weather to get a sale. As they passed the traders were shouting their hardest through the rain trying to get their attention. Onii-chan just steered past them intent on finally being free of the rain.

Gaining entry to Orzammar hadn't been an easy trick, not just any surfacer got to ply their trade in Orzammar proper. Levi as usual had proven invaluable and had gone ahead and procured them the necessary passes. As expensive as they were it would be a drop in the bucket to what they hoped to acquire. Illya watched as they pulled up alongside a particularly grim and sick looking dwarven guardsman, his face was lined and craggy with a long black beard poking out from under his full face helmet he was also completely sodden.

"…ughh don't make me look up surfacer, I hate seeing the sky, gives me the wobbles it does." The dwarf slowly looked up at them, "You got the proper passes?" Onii-chan stepped off the cart and handed them over. The dwarf spent several seconds looking them over before nodding, everything in order. "You must have more money that sense surfacer going to the trouble of getting these licenses…you're clear to move into Orzammar, watch yourself we'll be watching." The dwarf signaled to some unseen compatriot, the huge rune encrusted doors of Orzammar slowly creeped open, the rain water droplets lashed over the edges of the massive doors.

"Thank you! I can't wait to get out of the rain!" Onii-chan leaped back up on the cart as Artoria snapped the reins driving the horse on ahead through the newly opened doors.

"You and me both surfacer, I swear I must have offended a noble sometime to get saddled with this job day in day out…" the dwarf grumbled after them.

Suddenly like someone had turned off the taps they sound of the rain stopped and they pulled though entrance way. They first came to an enormous stables capable of holding at least a dozen carts at once. Leaving their sodden cart and "merchandise" parked with their horse happily munching on _dry _hay. Illya trotted on after Onii-chan and Artoria as they led the way forward.

Illya stared as the wide corridor opened out even further allowing them to see the hall of the Paragons, numerous statues of dwarves stood resplendent on all sides. Only one looked relatively fresh, one of a dwarven woman with a smiths hammer. That would be someone to investigate for sure, if it was recent they might still be around. Taking a close look yielded nothing, her name was declared in dwarven runes something she had not yet learned. She ran back to Artoria's side as the emerged into Orzammar proper.

She had seen some impressive things in her time as a magus but nothing had prepared her for the grandness that was Orzammar. It was _overwhelming_! They must have tunneled out an entire mountain! The dwarf city was constructed in concentric tiers each more narrow than the last heading up towards the inner summit of the utterly massive cavern. All of it was surrounding a lake of _lava_! They must have built this entire city on an inactive volcano or something similar. Paying more attention to the details she noticed they had walked out onto what looked to be the first tier before the lava, it also seemed to be a market place. Stalls selling various types of goods from what looked like arms and armour, exotic fine silks and skins to native foods.

Dwarves were milling around some buying and selling goods; their fashion all seemed to be very angular…like the stone they hewn their city from. Others looked like they were organized bands of warriors going home after some expedition, their armour dented and caked in black blood. Some of the full face helmeted dwarves were guarding the entrance to the tier and were eyeing them carefully as they stood in dumbstruck awe.

She didn't even know where to begin, Orzammar was less a city and more an entire _world _in and of itself!

* * *

It had taken a few minutes and a few requested directions to get their bearings on where they were and what was on this level. Apparently this was the "Commons" a location where most surfacers got to ply their trade. It was also the main social area of Orzammar with the proving grounds, a dwarven stadium, not too far from it just opposite the entrance on the other side of the lava lake. Dwarves of all castes lived here apart from the noble caste which occupied the more wealth higher tiers of the city.

Oni-chan had decided to retreat to a nearby tavern to see if they could dig up some information on what the current situation was in Orzammar. They were nearly bowled over by a red-haired dwarf tumbling out of the establishment head over heels, thankfully named in common tongue, "Tapsters Tavern". The dwarf groaned as he lifted his face from the finely made slabs. Onii-chan helped him stand up, and with a muttered slurred thank you he tottered off.

The sound within the tavern hit them like a wall of noise, music, roaring fires and dwarves ripping fresh meat off the bone. Tankards clanked and were drained and refilled. The merriment was constant as was the stream of mead.

They grabbed the nearest empty table and sat down to organize their thoughts. Illya watched the surrounding rowdy dwarf patrons drink by the tankard. Drinking it seemed was a dwarf talent of no small proportion. It was strange for Illya so used to everyone towering over her; it was a pleasant experience to be amongst people that were in fact sometimes shorter than her.

"So what's the plan?" Illya's eyes darted around and quickly as possible, taking in the range of patrons, fancy looking dwarves, grubby looking dwarves, warrior like ones; all likely from separate castes. The one thing that it seemed was universal was the need to have a drink.

Onii-chan looked about as overwhelmed as she felt, Artoria also had a rather befuddled expression on. It was culture shock that was for certain, they were used to human cities here and back home on earth. While the dwarves may look "mostly" human they had an odd way about them that told them emphatically that they were _not _human.

"The only thing we can do, split up and have a look around, find the information we need." Onii-chan focused on her, "Illya I know I said that I didn't want to carry out your plan but I want you to stay here if we end up having to travel into the deep roads, I simply can't risk you down there. And while you're up here you might as well not waste your time so…"

"You mean I can start with my plan?! Yaay!" Illya's eyes closed for joy as her hands formed fists raised above her head. The image was adorable and for a moment she really did match the rather rowdy crowd around her.

"…just don't do anything really crazy please, and watch your back." Onii-chan still looked worried but honestly he had nothing to worry about, who could possibly harm her here, thieves and bandits? Fine she would keep half and eye out, she was reasonably confident that the commons was safe however.

"I won't Onii-chan, let split up and see if we can gather some information!"

* * *

It didn't take long chatting up a few of the patrons before they had learned the rather dire situation that Orzammar was in. They were basically under a constant siege from beneath the city, the deep roads were completely overrun; the legion of the dead a so called dwarf penal legion had been nearly completely destroyed with the darkspawn resurgence. This left the dwarves in a very dangerous position, the future of their species' ancestral home was very much in danger. Most of the dwarves they had talked to however didn't seem to take it terribly seriously trusting in Orzammar's defences which were indeed considerable.

On the subject of Paragons they were in luck, there was in fact a "living" ancestor and as Illya had guessed it a dwarf woman by the name of Branka. A prodigal smith she had devised a smokeless coal that could burn without air. It had seemingly saved a great deal of lives from death by "black lung" which sounded just about as horrible as it probably was. She had seemingly been the boon of the age so far with no others coming forth as exemplars of dwarven might, intelligence or culture.

The big problem was that she had traveled into the deep roads nearly nine months ago along with her entire house in retinue. It seemed that the public were more or less split down the middle as to what had happened to her. Death by darkspawn or lost in the deep roads forever. Some believed she would emerge in a few months but they were in the minority.

It seemed Onii-chan had been right he and Artoria would have to venture into the deep roads. They had decided that bringing news of Branka would be a sufficiently grand deed as to warrant attention from the nobles. After all it wasn't like they could just walk up to them and demand an audience. The problem was they couldn't just _walk _into the deep roads and expect to emerge unscathed, they needed maps and maybe even a guide for that.

Illya followed her brother as they ventured out into the main thoroughfare of the commons, he stopped not far from the entrance to the deep roads. It seemed that providence was smiling on them however as they were confronted by a thankfully sober-ish version of the red haired dwarf that had nearly bowled them over. Illya wrinkled her nose he _stank _of alcohol. He was geared up in some heavy looking dwarf styled armour but he was seemingly unarmed. His bleary eyes were focused somewhat ineffectually on Onii-chan.

"…Hey you…I've heard you've been talkin about Branka, why you wantin to know about her?" His face twisted slightly as he said the name, whether it was in pain or simply in the effort to avoid vomiting Illya didn't know.

"We simply wanted to know where she had gone, we were interested in finding her….you wouldn't know anyone willing to help us would you?" Onii-chan as diplomatic as usual, honestly she didn't know why he was bothering with this trash.

"Heh…Someone that can help! You're lookin at him, I want to find Branka for my own reasons. I guess you don't know your arse from the deep roads do you surfacers. The name's Oghren and without me you'll never find her!" His furry eye brows twitched as he hiccuped, he shook his frame as if the hangover would just fall off his body, his beard bounced around amusingly.

"I know the deep roads, and I know where she was goin. I just needed the help getting there or I would have gone ages ago. So what do you say?" The dwarf held out his forearm waiting for a response.

"Of course we would accept your help." Onii-chan responded quickly clasping him by the arm. The dwarf's bleary eyes sharpened with gladness, Illya could only groan as a useless life-form was added to the team. Oh well he would serve as a good meat shield for her brother and his girlfriend!

"We'll be needen a lot of supplies to get to where she is I hope you've got the coin and the will to make it that far." Oghren seemed to have shaken off the most of his drunken stupor. Perhaps dwarves really could shake drink out of their bodies.

"Don't worry we came to Orzammar stocked up with supplies, we imagined we would have to venture out on an expedition like this." Onii-chan reassured their "guide".

"Huh…strange, that a surfacer would go all to the trouble to find Branka of all people." At the quizzical expressions he continued, "She's not exactly a people person yeh see…" he trailed off awkwardly. Illya got the feeling there was more to this than was being said. Onii-chan led Oghren onwards back to the stables and their supplies, they continued their conversation out of earshot.

Artoria got down on one knee and looked her in the eye, "Illya I want you to be very careful, this place is a den of snakes with each of them willing and able to cut their compatriots to pieces. They pretend to have honor here but they only practise it when it suits them."

Illya was speechless, Artoria had never been so personal with her before. "Use the Tapster's Tavern as a base for yourself, be careful going up to the noble districts they might not be so accommodating." Her bright green eyes were fixed on her own so much that Illya started to go bright red.

A small movement later and Illya was enveloped in a tight hug. Utterly speechless she could only watch as her brother's usually stoic girlfriend left her to follow on after the two men at a brisk pace. Illya sighed and hurried after them trying to keep up.

* * *

It wasn't long before they were ready, loaded up with some heavy packs they looked ready for a week's journey or more. Illya couldn't help but cry a little as Onii-chan said his goodbyes to her. She hated staying behind but he had been adamant that she stay, it was far too dangerous in the deep roads for her. The chance of being tainted far too great to gamble on. Her battle sense simply wasn't as refined as his own or Artoria's was and in the darkness ahead it could prove a deadly oversight. She may be deadly but in a situation where they could be attacked at any time and from any direction she simply couldn't match up yet.

It had been an hour after they had left descending deep into the darkness where Orzammar's final outer gate awaited them. As much as she hated the thought, she put her faith in the smelling red dwarf and hoped that they would all return safely. She had a dreadful feeling that not all would be well however.

Illya had been wondering about the commons district almost listless not able to focus on looking for anyone or anything. Her black mood impeachable even looking at some of the pretty wares hadn't captured her interest. Her bright white dress far finer than anything they had on display, projected as it was from images of modern thread and machined work.

A moment later and her attention was peaked. Someone was following her…_badly_. She hadn't noticed so far due to her rather bad mood but she was being followed. She walked past the last stalls and wandered into an ally and waited behind the corner. Not thirty seconds later a small figure peered around the corner into the darkness. Illya seized them by the collar and shoved them with all her reinforced strength up against the wall.

She was confronted with someone the same height as her with dark auburn hair and _bright_ amber eyes full of fear. The lips were a rosy and rather soft looking. All together it was a rather striking unarmed dwarf girl that she was holding by the throat in a dark alleyway. Illya was mortified, her hands released her as if burned. The girl soon started coughing her eyes losing the fear they had gained in the intervening seconds.

"I..I'm sorry I thought someone was trying to harm me…I didn't mean to hurt you!" Illya's cheeks coloured in embarrassment at her rather physical response to the situation she hadn't been her usual subtle self. The dwarf was wearing what looked like an apprentice smith apron with miscellaneous tools stowed away at her side.

The dwarf girl simply stared at her in awe. Huh…that wasn't the normal response to getting strangled.

* * *

Dagna was a dwarf born into the smith caste of Orzammar. It was a fact that she had loathed since the day she had understood it well enough, to know she would end up pounding metal for the rest of her life. Her entire life was already laid out for her since she had been born. Her entire family all thought she should could be like Branka, the Paragon master smith if only she would "apply" herself. Truthfully molding bits of steel and iron while it had been interesting at first bored her to death now.

No her passion in life was learning all she could about enchanting and magic. She would spend all her free time searching for the few imported curiosity tomes that would come through on the very few trade caravans that gained entrance to Orzammar proper. Sadly there was only so much she could learn. Rune smithing was an old art but the majority of dwarf enchanters had gone extinct long ago, only a few existed now and they kept their secrets close to their chest within their families or houses.

It had been like any other day, she was sitting outside her father's shop waiting for him to close up for the day, when she had seen something incredible. This person had to be magic, nobody could look like that and not have a shred of magic within them. It would simply be impossible! It was a girl…human or dwarf she couldn't tell she was certainly the right height for a dwarf but her colourings and build, no she had never seen anyone with that colour of skin and hair and she was far too thin for that. Maybe she was an elf! Wouldn't that be exciting! The vision of silver hair and pale almost alabaster skin was wandering about the commons as easy as you please.

She couldn't help it as she started following her through the market place, the girl looked at the various goods on display somtimes picking up and object for a closer look; Dagna hid behind several stalls to watch her with bated breath. Her expression was sad almost like she wasn't seeing anything that was in front of her. Dagna hoped she wasn't sad because of something one of her people had done, that would be awful!

The girl seemed to come back to herself after a few more minutes of watching. She seemed to glance around, Dagna kept her head down. The girl then continued into a dark alleyway, that wasn't good what if she was robbed by some of the casteless!? Dagna summoned up her courage and peaked her head around the corner.

The next few moments were blur as her whole body was slammed up against the wall by a thin arm which _shouldn't_ have contained the near explosive strength she had just been subjected to. The thin fingers on the hand were tightly around her neck almost making them feel like claws. Dagna couldn't scream, she was far too stunned to understand what was happening. A moment later she could breathe again.

Her eyes refocused on the girl as she regained her wherewithal, Dagna felt her bruised throat gingerly. The girl before her looked rather horrified at her own actions. Perhaps she had expected some burly man to be attacking her.

"I..I'm sorry I thought someone was trying to harm me…I didn't mean to hurt you!" Her voice was just as melodic as Dagna had expected, all thoughts of her own injuries fled her mind as she stared into the confused _ruby _eyes sparkling in the half-darkness created by the alley entrance.

_Woah…_

**Author Note: **

Hi all bet you all thought I was dead or something :D. Updates for this fic will happen when I feel creative, so it will be usually every week at the very least.

Starting off the Orzammar arc was really quite hard for me, I hope it was done convincingly as to "why" they had to do this. Illya, Shirou and Artoria have split and gone their separate ways. Their skills lending to different battles and tasks. Don't expect for one second for this to be a roll over. This is going to be a very important arc for the future. Artoria and Shirou will be getting plenty of screen time in their own chapter next. I wanted to focus on Illya's meeting with Dagna a dwarf that loves everything magical. Dagna will be a very important character for the future much like Levi but for different reasons.

The gang met Oghren who over heard them talking about Branka and we all know how he was wanting to rally support to go after her. So this was a perfect opportunity for him.

How will this work with Illya's "plan" to create a Paragon well we will just have to see what she has planned. That will happen in chapter nine. Now I'm sure there will be mutterings of IllyaxDagna this is a big development for Illya and I fully understand her character near as I can tell. So don't worry I won't suddenly turn her OOC.

Chapter eight however will see Shirou and Artoria test themselves against the darkspawn as an insidious enemy listens in the dark. Plots abound in chapter eight so look forward to it!

Anyway please tell me how this chapter went, wasn't so full of action but I wanted to keep the word count a bit lower than my prior chapter which dragged on for far too long. I went over it as well as I could please tell me if I missed anything.

**Aside:**

I always wondering about Branka being able to demand that her whole house follow her to certain death. Dwarves really are fanatically loyal to their Paragons aren't they…

Edit: I've added a poll as to which origin you would prefer to have as "canon" hero of Fereldan. Please vote ^_^


	8. Caridin's Cross to Ortan Thaig

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Author Pre-notes: **Some answers to guest reviews. Come on guys log in :p

Anon: Thank you ^_^ yes there will be multiple origins worked into the story in various forms. They don't all happen at once obviously but I will try to interconnect all of their stories. Some have less importance than others and hence will take a back seat or will simply have a camo appearance.

Syn: Thank you for the compliment ^_^ yes hopefully it will continue on to inquisition but that might be in a sequel *hides in corner crying*

Guest: Yes this is as much a learning experience for me as for you. I've never written anything of this scale before and it's certainly not easy to grapple with. Hopefully this chapter will show improvement. I certainly did try to comb over it. Seeker Arrows are not just "seeking" arrows they can split and hit multiple targets at once. The ultimate crowd control weapon. However they are mentally taxing for Shirou to use. While prodigious at "aiming" I would hardly call Shirou a prodigy of the bow. Type in "Larz ancient archer" into youtube and you will see what combat archery is REALLY about. Shirou will eventually reach this level but not without extensive training in the art.

Depending on the situation Shirou will use Caliburn or Kanshou &amp; Bakuya. It's essentially situational, remember Shirou is an owner of many weapons each has its niche in combat. Caliburn will be used in this chapter for a very logical reason I hope you will all agree.

Thanks for the review ^_^

I also want to say a big thank you to DragonSword35d who has been invaluable to me in discussing ideas! You sir get some internet cookies :3

**Chapter Eight: Caridin's Cross to Ortan Thiag**

The deep roads were dark. That was the first thought that struck Shirou as he followed his new fast friend Oghren. He was leading them down through the labyrinth like passages. Built by the ancient dwarves using some kind of long lost rock eating lyrium crystal it was an incredible sight to see. Much of it had collapsed over the years, but it spoke highly of it craftsmanship to last thousands of years without maintenance.

Oghren had told them that many of the new tunnels were made by darkspawn burrowing in the deep. Many of the side passages were made by monstrous creatures that could feed on the rock. Few dwarves had ever seen one and lived to tell the tale. Luckily they seemed to keep to the deep and were only a danger during a blight. It was how much of the dwarven empire had fallen; it had only been towards the end of the first blight that they had developed counter measures against the creatures. It was what allowed Orzammar's defences to last against the horde.

The main highways were built like large halls passing for miles in straight lines sometimes intersecting with other forgotten passages. For most of the time it was a lonely journey in the dark, they couldn't risk showing their location to anyone that may be watching. Thankfully bioluminescent mushrooms were common enough to be able to see with some reliability, all the same Shirou reinforced his eyes periodically to scan for potential enemies.

Their guide Oghren was confident that he could guide them to Caridin's cross an old cross roads which connected Orzammar to many of the outlying thiags. From there he believed he could figure out where Branka had moved next.

Shirou shivered as he looked around, he could see that Artoria felt the same, this place was wrong. Everything about it had been touched by corruption, even the stone work felt _dirty _somehow. Travelling in the dark like this made figuring out what hour it was difficult; it made him absolutely adamant that he would project some mechanical watches for himself and Artoria next time they went underground.

It had been about six hours of careful travel before Oghren called a halt. Setting up camp was a rather limited affair which consisted of finding a 'safe' place to rest. No fire, no heat, no light. Pulling out their blankets Shirou tossed one to Artoria and Oghren. They would take watch periodically so that everyone could get a rest.

Shirou felt momentarily amused as he was sitting in a hidden crevasse in the highway wall, the things they got up to now days. High school seemed so far away now, it literally was another world entirely. Artoria leaned into his side slightly, well it wasn't all bad he thought with a smile.

"You know I should probably explain what kinds of things we might come up against down here, you are surfacers after all…" Oghren was pensive, his surroundings not lending to a calm heart. His eyes staring out into the darkness with a hawk like vigilance. "First you need to know darkspawn don't come all the same. Hurlock's are the big bastards if you see any, Genlocks are the about the size of a dwarf and are the most common. Shrieks, you don't see many of those, but if you do watch yourselves they move like lightning, they have big claws and pointed ears about the size of a man. Ogres? You want to avoid them, sodding big sons of bitches, they are easy to recognise because of their massive horns and size."

He turned to look at Artoria his eyes hooded in darkness, "You little lady, if you get captured kill yourself, you don't want to find out what they will do to you if you live."

Shirou nearly swallowed his own tongue, the thought of being put in that position was horrible. Shirou almost didn't want to know what they would do with a woman down here. Oghren turned back to the darkness of the highway. The silence down here was oppressive…that and the odd howl that would sound in the deep. Altogether it didn't make for a pleasant lullaby.

"I better tell you what Branka is really after; she was searching for Ortan thiag the home of Caridin before he became Paragon. He was responsible for making many of the ancient dwarf golems that the Shaperate keep a tight hold on. The problem is the secret of making them was lost with him. Branka was obsessed with him and those secrets." Oghren looked away probably remembering the past. Shirou would bet anything that Branka and Oghren were more acquainted than most 'friends'.

"You two get some rest I'll keep first watch." Oghren didn't look ready to sleep, his eyes seemed to be looking past the darkness towards some horizon only he could see. He pulled out a small silver flask and took a slurp.

Shirou turned to Artoria, her eyes were beginning to droop as she rested her head against his shoulder. Shirou pulled her into a more comfortable position resting her head against his chest as he leaned back on an "accommodating" rock. Her eyes slowly shut as she descended into sleep. Shirou was almost jealous, she must be used to getting as much sleep as possible no matter where she was. Trait of a soldier he supposed.

"Wake me for second watch Oghren." The dwarf nodded distractedly as he continued his vigil.

* * *

In a gloomy cave deep, much deeper into the deep roads there was a screech and then a cry of agonising pain. It echoed in the dark reverberating on the walls the ancient dwarves had hewn in their younger days. In the dark a creature half monster half mutilated woman struggled.

The vast bulk of her body hurt, it burned her….the sweet nothings of the song were taken from her by the architect. It wasn't fair. Her scream had called her beloved children, their spindly forms crawling all over her body trying to comfort her. She writhed in pain as she birthed again. The darkness of her mind is everlasting and pervasive. She can no longer hear the old gods singing in the deep. Her world is viscous blackness.

Her hate was like the sludge being pumped through her veins, the architect would pay. His meddling would be ended she would return to the song. She had to! She screams again in pain and hatred.

She is startled when she hears something…singing beautiful singing, stronger and far louder than any of the songs she only partly remembers. It soothes her…..she needs it….she wants it! She must have it! Reacting to her thoughts her children disappear into the many crevices of the cave vanishing into the deep roads in pursuit. She tempers their haste; this creature was powerful, far more powerful than they could even be. She would have to trick it, corrupt it. She just knew it would pull her mind back to the song if it was corrupted with _her _blood!

Her children would attack when she expected it least. Against some powerful foe? Yes! Strike and inject some of the taint and if possible take some blood! She could barely wait to be lulled to sleep again by the songs…

* * *

Shirou woke with a start, his golden eyes blinking into the dark; his shared dreams with Artoria had continued even in this world. Dreaming of Camelot and Artoria's past life was surreal, somehow in this world dreams held far more clarity than back home. He could certainly remember it far more clearly than he ever had before. The civil war she fought in, most of her knights abandoning her, the country split in two. It had been horrible, but most of all it was Mordred, the 'son' of King Arthur which was the most heart breaking. She had been a clone, a copy of Artoria created by Morgan le Fay.

It had been unbelievably painful for Artoria to strike down her 'son' in open combat upon the field of Camlann. The feelings of that moment, utter defeat and regret. In many ways Mordred had never progressed beyond a child, her personality warped beyond help. Beyond that was the Holy Grail War where she had arisen through time to meet him as a servant intent upon unmaking her choices.

Shirou had helped her to accept what had happened, that no wish granting artefact could erase the past no matter how much anyone fervently wanted it to happen. The grail had been false in the end, an empty cup filled with blackness and bile.

It had been three days since they had conversed about the darkspawn with Oghren. During the intervening days they had encountered their first darkspawn, a small genlock scrabbling about in the dirt. Its form had been a twisted mockery of human or dwarven life. Its cruel features twisted inhumanely as it observed them before disappearing into a bolt hole, obviously smart enough not to take on a heavily armed group on its own.

Artoria had been spooked by the experience, she had seen many creatures both fair and monstrous but these darkspawn reminded her so much of the grails own corruption it was unsettling. She swore it had locked its beady eyes on her the moment it saw her. Why the darkspawn would have more interest in her was both unsettling and concerning. Shirou wouldn't allow anything to happen to her, he would die before anything could lay hands upon her.

After that it had been rather quiet, Oghren had been rather unnerved at how calm everything had been so far. The deep roads weren't usually so accommodating towards its guests. Shirou could also feel something ebbing on the stale air. Like something was watching them, waiting. It was not a pleasant feeling.

Caridin's Cross was an intersection under main land Fereldan, perhaps even under Lake Calenhad it was rather wet down here in some places. It was here that you would decide where you wanted to go in the deep roads, near Orzammar anyway. Oghren had said that it was likely that Branka had tried to find a way to the old Ortan thiag, it had been lost for some time however. They would need to find evidence of her passing to figure out their plan.

Shirou looked up, Artoria was staring intently out into the blackness, likely far more capable of seeing hidden enemies than either of the two males. Wiping some of the grime out of his eyes, he joined her vigil for the last part of the 'early' morning.

"Shirou you're up, would you like a biscuit?" She smiled offering over a small oat biscuit held in her massively gauntleted hand. The image was almost amusingly cute.

"Thanks…have you see anything?" Shirou listened intently, all he could hear was the slow pitter patter of droplets of water condensate trickling down the ancient walls. Shirou took a bite out of the biscuit. Artoria seemed to pause collecting her thoughts.

"…I have not, it has been quite since you began to sleep…Shirou I do not like this place, I feel like there is a great pressure on my mind but I can't tell what." Her expression was pensive and just a tiny bit apprehensive. She hated the idea of not knowing an enemy, was this a real feeling or was it just her own misgivings about this whole idea?

"I know the feeling, these halls are oppressive I can only imagine how many people have died here across the ages." He could relate, it was like a series of tombs not an interconnected highway. One thing was for certain the spirits did not sleep easily in this place.

Shirou turned as he heard Oghren burping in his sleep, the dwarf tossed and turned before smacking his forehead on an unyielding rock. He woke with a start half complaining about there not being enough mugs of ale. Oghren was literally like a fantasy dwarf stereotype from back on earth. A love of drink, uncouth manners and a no nonsense simple approach to things.

"…Erghh I hate sleepin on sodding rocks! That's all us dwarves ever seem to do, sleep on rocks!" He grumbled as he pulled on the heavier plates of his red steel armour. Sleeping in their armour was the only option open for them, if they were attacked down here it wouldn't be a good idea to be caught badly dressed for the event. "Even our beds are made of stone…"

Shirou almost laughed, naturally the dwarves didn't use very much wood in construction. Their majority of their furniture was constructed with finely cut stone. Including their beds.

"Heh, well we might as well get stuck into Caridin's Cross maybe our luck will hold until we finish our business there." Oghren shook the sleep from his shoulders and led the way into the abandoned cross roads.

* * *

It watched carefully and silently. This one was created by Mother to be unseen and careful. It was smart, smarter than all the other children. It believed that Mother loved it. It would do what Mother needed, it would take care of Mother.

The things it was watching were careful, the small one was the most experienced it could tell. The small one had been here before it knew. The others were more interesting, Mother would love to know about them.

They could see but did not see. Their eyes were sharp but they did not understand this world. It could pray on that, none of the forces it could set against them would stop them even for a moment it knew. The one that looked like Mother, the golden one sang the sweet song that Mother wanted. Connect Mother to the golden one that was its task. Destruction was not what it sought.

This place held many secrets, ancient secrets. Secrets it could use. It had scoured the path ahead and cleared the others not of Mother. They would proceed unimpeded until the time was right. Then it would strike. It clutched a jar in its claws, it was powerful it would be useful in occupying them while it readied itself.

It was close now…so close. The golden one twitched and the song wavered. It slunk back to the shadows of the crags, its dextrous spiny legs preforming the act effortlessly.

They moved now, deeper yes…deeper in. It could hardly contain its glee at helping its Mother. She would be pleased it was certain of that! It knew they searched for the other ones that came before, it could listen, it could hear. Towards the chasm they will go, where all the dead sleep.

* * *

"Well I was right, Branka's been here, you can see the chip marks all over this section. It's like they went east, she probably figured out how to get to Ortan thiag from here. We can only follow her I suppose and hope we get lucky." Oghren was examining several scratch like marking where it looked like samples of the rock were taken.

They had spent the better part of a day searching Caridin's cross for the markings that would yield a direction. Branka hadn't be all that careful in her explorations, so her trail was reasonable easy to find all things considered. Shirou doubted that he would have realised what it was without Oghren's 'specialist' knowledge however.

"Shirou we should move on now, it's not safe here." Artoria's eyes were fixed on his own, her request came across more as plea than anything else. Everything about her stance told of uneasy tension coiling up within.

The cross had been quiet for the entire time, absolutely spotless in the total absence of any enemies of any kind. Oghren had been getting more and more worried as time went on. This had to be unnatural. They should have run across _some _darkspawn by now. Something had to be going on in his mind as this was far too easy by anyone's estimation.

Shirou had made sure to stay close to Artoria, she had been plagued all day with the idea that something was out there watching them. Shirou could no longer deny the eerie atmosphere that had descended wasn't one created wholly from imagination. All the same Shirou preferred to stay back and watch her back for this mission, something stank about this whole situation. And it wasn't the old rotting carcasses of darkspawn that they had encountered.

"Well you're getting your wish lady, I sure don't like this sodding place any more than you do. Too bad the worst is yet to come" Oghren pulled out a silver flask and took a slurp. With a pleasurable sigh of relief he pointed the direction and started plodding down a main highway leading away from Caridin's cross. Artoria followed behind quickly not even sparing the place a second glance backwards.

Shirou turned to look back at the blackness. He trusted Artoria's senses, something was out there and if it thought for one second it would get its way with whatever it was planning it had another thing coming. He would protect Artoria no matter what.

* * *

It had been two days travel until they had reached their destination. Or at least a place that bore the Ortan iconography, Oghren wasn't all that well versed in these things. The way to Ortan thiag hadn't been easy as much of the main highways had been collapsed forcing them to take dangerous detours. The eerie lack of opposition had finally been broken during the second day where they had been confronted by a roving band of hurlocks.

They came like a tide around the corner all following a larger horned helmeted hurlock. Surprisingly they were running in sync with their 'leader' punctuated with grunts and shouts. To Shirou as horrible as these creatures were it was welcome sight after days of silence.

The large human like creatures had been equipped with crude imitations of arms and armour. Their faces were as bestial as they came, mouths full of black fangs, clouded eyes like a corrupted ghouls and completely hairless. Their skin looked putrid like they were living examples of diseased flesh that simply hadn't remembered it was supposed to be dead. Various shades of dark green, red and grey seemed to be the norm with skin colour for these creatures

As surprising as the attack was Shirou was not caught off guard he already had his bow up and ready. Ohgren had immediately charged at them obviously glad that the long wait in suspense had ended. Artoria had initially been reluctant to engage the creatures in direct conflict but quickly moved to support Oghren.

Oghren moved with experience, using his smaller size to his advantage to outwit the creatures. His axe felling them like great trees between their clumsy blows. Artoria's form sang between them like a flash, sword speeding in invisible arcs. Cutting and piercing the hurlocks left and right, utterly untouchable.

What these creatures had in fearsome appearance was not matched by their skills. Their style of attack seemed to be of the 'hack it till it stops moving' school of combat. Shirou almost sighed at the display it was almost wrong pitting these creatures against a master swordswoman like Artoria. Shirou downed the last two as they tried to flee the scene, his 'mundane' arrows piercing their ramshackle armour with moderate ease.

"Heh I knew you guys were good! Finally some sodding action!" The red headed dwarf was standing on the 'leader' hurlock's carcase, he was heaving his comically large axe which had cleaved the Hurlock's horned helmet. With a rather disgusting crunching sound the axe blade finally came loose.

"Did you notice how they were moving like a unit?" Shirou asked quizzically, he had been under the impression that they functioned as an irregular horde not a functioning army unit.

"Hmm, you have to understand where the darkspawn are concerned anything is possible, we've been fighting em since forever and we still don't know much about them." Oghren did not look particularly concerned about the darkspawn, it was likely that he was so used to the oddities when it came to these creatures that he barely considered them anymore.

"These creatures are foul, this taint is an abomination it serves no purpose other than to mar and destroy." Artoria prodded the arm of a creature with her foot, her face twisted in disgust. Her fingers curled tightly around Excalibur in agitation. Shirou imagined she was annoyed that destroying these creatures would be the work of many lifetimes, if it was even possible.

An hour later and they were drawing near to what they believed was the outer reaches of Ortan thaig. The main entrance it seemed was collapsed forcing them to enter into the nearby side passages. Shirou stared into the blackness that was the entrance to the side passages, they would be lucky indeed if it led into the main thaig.

"By the tits of my ancestors…Ortan thaig, I never thought we would actually find it…" He was suddenly pinned by two rather intense looks. He shrugged in his heavy armour, "What? We were going on luck you know!"

"Can you see any evidence of Branka around here?" Shirou looked for the tell-tale signs of rock sample scrapings. There were some but also other shapes on the stones….maybe rubbings?

"Yeah she's been here for sure…recently too, maybe a couple of months ago" The dwarf paced around eyeing several marks carefully. He shook his head tiredly after a moment. "We're close, Branka seems to have spent plenty of time here, maybe even a year. She probably left some scraps behind if we are lucky."

"Can you tell us a bit more about this Caridin there seems to be more to his story than you have mentioned." Artoria asked as she looked into the side passage, hands clenched tightly around Excalibur. The oppressive feeling of being watched had lessened but not disappeared. She was still very much on edge.

"Hmph, Caridin when he became Paragon stayed here in Ortan thaig rather than shift his people over to Bownamar a fortress he designed for the Legion of the Dead. It was only after that he created the Anvil of the Void." Oghren sighed and continued, "The Anvil is what Branka is really after, and it's where Caridin did his best works, so it's also likely where she could find the secrets to golems that he created."

"Do we know where this Anvil is?" Shirou frowned trying to unravel the almost opaqueness that was ancient dwarven history. His limited understanding of it was not helping, Illya he was certain would have known something that might have been useful to the conversation. He hoped she was doing well back in Orzammar.

"Nah, that's why Branka is out here searching, she believes if she could bring the Anvil back into use she could bring back the golems and save Orzammar. I hope that's what she wants anyway." Oghren looked like he was trying to convince himself of that more than anything.

"I guess we should get inside then, no point in standing about. Watch your back I get the feeling we're still being watched" Shirou vaunted down onto the lower level of the side passage. Artoria joined him after a moment and then Oghren.

The sight that greeted them was a large point in favor of Branka having been here, a still mostly whole 'Ogre' was decomposing in the side passage. Its form was massive, comparable with the creature that Artoria had struck down at Soldier's Peak, it looked far less armoured however. Shirou estimated that he would be able to take one of these creatures down on his own just using some of his more powerful arrows.

"Heh there you go, no need to look for more clues, Branka has been here for certain." Oghren looked at the creatures wounds, then nodded, "Her handy work, she always did love hamstring these sodding bastards, cutting em down to size she would say."

Shirou could only salute the skill it took for a regular person…dwarf to take down one of these creatures all without magic to aide them. Back home such a feat would likely be impossible without extensive training and even then it's probable you would fail. Branka really was a gifted person in body as well as mind it seemed.

The passage way opened up ahead into a large cavern. Shirou looked on with resignation…spiders. Artoria was going to love this he could already feel the dissatisfied groan coming on. Webs covered the cavern, it looked fresh too, they had probably moved in during the intervening months since Branka had left. Shirou glanced at Artoria her back was straight and her eyes were dead flat as she stared straight ahead.

"Shirou you take me to the nicest places." Her tone was like ice. Shirou cringed, he would most assuredly pay for this later.

"Heh you afraid of spiders or something missy?" Oghren's teasing didn't make it any better; Shirou started making signals and gestures of 'Don't go there'. To late…Artoria was staring down, her fringe shadowing her eyes, he wasn't sure if he was imagining the dark aura surrounding her or not.

All too soon large spiders were descending from the webbed ceiling. Some were putrid corrupted things while others looked more similar to the ones he was familiar with topside. Artoria didn't hesitate a moment before she launched herself at them with impressive irritation fuelled speed. Shirou sighed and pulled up his bow already loaded with a projected seeker arrow, focusing carefully he selected multiple targets. A single release later and all six spiders were struck with either killing blows or crippling wounds.

Artoria's internal fury continued as she finished off the last of them with heavy finishing blows. When she turned back to face a partly afraid Shirou and a rather gobsmacked Oghren her eyes were completely flat her mouth pressed into a thin frown. Her armour and blue dress completely covered in small flecks of spider 'material'. Shirou sweated slightly at the sight.

"Shirou…I hate spiders." She was completely without inflection this time…that was a bad sign. Oh well at least the tension that had been coiled in her for days was gone.

"Your some sodden fighter missy, could barely follow you with my eyes, and you I haven't ever seen anyone fire six arrows at once…" Oghren seemed to be realizing that he probably couldn't have gotten better companions for this trip.

Their little discussion was interrupted by a roar echoing nearby. It seemed it was originating from the next cavern. Shirou led them through the passage quickly. This next cavern was absolutely massive with a single exit to the north continuing into what Shirou assumed to be Ortan thaig. The next thing that was important about this Cavern is that it was absolutely _crawling_ with spiders. Two darkspawn Ogres seemed have attacked this area and the spiders were swarming all over them biting, clawing and poisoning the two great behemoths.

Oghren also looked on with resignation, they were all going to be a heck of a lot stickier and stinky by the time they got back to Orzammar that much was certain. Artoria's flat eyes got even flatter if that was even possible. Shirou could almost feel the displeasure like a physical force. As for himself? He just sighed. Running forward he charged his circuits for some heavier use.

He focused on the seeker arrow blueprint, tracing it into existence on his bow it continued to glow. His eyes flickered over the horde of spiders a single arrow for each. This would push this particular mystic code to the limit. Several uses would be required he was certain. Ten targets for each arrow that made a total of thirty spiders. It wasn't so much that the mystic code was a taxing projection, it was the mental toll of encoding the targets for each arrow that was the problem.

The first Ogre falling was his signal, he released his first arrow, the single arrow transformed into a rain of ten arrows. Seven struck true the others managing to either miss or strike non-critical wounds, he projected another arrow and repeated the process. A second arrow pulled down another swathe of enemies.

Artoria sprinted past him taking on the few spiders that had made it past his wall of arrows. Her blade splashing spider innards with every blow much to her disgust. Oghren joined her after a moment, his heavy two handed axe laying into the wounded spiders with ease. The third and final arrow managed to reduce the numbers to a manageable level. The last few spiders were felled by their combined efforts.

The final Ogre tottered about its body covered in wounds and its veins full of poison. Artoria sprinted towards the benighted creature, she side stepped several spider corpses on the path. Releasing a prana burst she leaped past the Ogre's head, Excalibur sang though the air ending the monster's life in a single blow. She touched down to earth on the other side of the cavern, looking none the worse for wear. The Ogre collapsed on its back only just realising it was supposed to be dead.

Shirou jogged over to her trying to recollect his thoughts, such intense concentration really wasn't helpful in the middle of battle. Without companions he would be a sitting duck using a technique like that. The one advantage to it was the low prana requirements for projection, he had effected a great deal of destruction with a small amount of magic. True he could have used some of the more destructive noble phantasms he possessed in his arsenal, but it would be a massive waste of energy to use them on such enemies. Fight quantity with quantity not quality.

Shirou fixed his eyes on the next passage way as Artoria tried in vain to wipe the muck from her face. To his amazement there was a spider with its mandibles flaring in the air, it danced them around a bit more before darting around the corner. Was that spider just…_taunting_ _him_? The wonders never ceased in this world it seemed.

"You okay Artoria? Here let me help." He pulled out a rag and wiped off the worst of the muck, he had never pinned her to be one so easily revolted …then again it did stink terribly. Her blush became more evident after his ministrations. He didn't consciously seek out situations like this just so he could see her so flustered at his attention. Honest!

"Aah", Oghren spat out something black and horrible, he balanced his axe on his shoulder "We should move on, I hate the sodding stink of these things."

Shirou agreed, he led them through the next passageway. They emerged into what he assumed was Ortan Thaig proper. Various dwarf houses of angular design were jutting out of the rock faces. Giant statues of long dead Paragons dominated the cavern, possibly Caridin himself in all likely hood. In the distance Shirou could see two large bridges crossing over an underground river, quite a rare feature in his experiences down here.

The thaig was eerily silent no sounds breached the oppressive miasmic stillness. Empty windows and closed doors it was a ghost town. Shirou noticed the hulking stone men, golems he presumed. Two of them stood in alcoves near the houses. Guardians he supposed. Wait…would Branka be the type to leave behind traps? Too late, the moment they had crossed over into the thaig they were awakened.

Glowing blue eyes came to life like hot coals. Their immense bodies shuddering off the dust from their long sleep. Stone limbs capable of massive strength pulled at their magical sinews in use for the first time in ages. In the distance he could see more of these automatons spring to life.

Shirour sighed, nothing was ever simple.

* * *

Now yes?! Now. The things were occupied with strong enemies and tough skins. Drop the jar now let the thing out to play? Yes! It scuttled over the ceiling of the thaig, careful in its movements, utterly silent. The precious jar clutched in its claws cradled to its mangled 'chest' like a new-born child.

It watched as the gold one moved first to meet the strong ones. The gold one's movements were fluid and powerful, not a match no not a match for this one was it. The red ones were strong too, the one that shot pointy things at a distance had abandoned his weapon its powers useless to him in this battle. The red one with the axe was slow compared to the others, swinging slowly with purpose and power chipping away at the strong ones.

It signalled for its brethren to occupy the other two, they would stop them from coming to the aide of the gold one. Provide an opening they would. Not for long but enough for its purposes.

Its spines quivered with anticipation it would succeed in Mother's task, it was made smart! Mother would love it even more!

The moment had come, it watched as the other children engaged the other two in combat striking at them between the strong ones. The strong ones attacked the children too but it did not matter, chaos was needed. It moved carefully now above its prey. The golden one turned in confusion, the strong one it had been fighting broken in two, the red ones holding attention. Now! It released the jar, with a clack it exploded on the thiag floor, a flood of green saturated fade energy emerging.

It watched in glee as the massive figure arose from the miasma. Clad in a strong skin with fearsome metal blades it was fell figure with red glowing pits. With a gesture and a wave it pulled the gold one across the meters that separated them

The golden one's eyes widened in shock, now to wait, it would have its chance!

* * *

Shirou could barely believe how quickly this had gone bad. His projected arrows were more or less useless against these golems, fire and ice, lightning and explosive all useless. He had been hopeful for the explosive ones but their skin it seemed was far stronger than just simple stone. It was likely laced with lyrium to make it more durable.

Regardless he had resorted to projecting Caliburn. The Golden Sword of Assured Victory burned in his hand as he dodged the overwhelmingly powerful blows of these constructs. He wouldn't classify these constructs as 'monsters' so Kanshou and Bakuya were out for this battle. Caliburn was also the sword he was most familiar with other than Archer's paired weapons. His training had allowed him to connect to the skills held in memory within the weapon far more intimately. In a way it was like Artoria was fighting alongside him guiding his movements, like when they had fought Berserker.

It was a pleasing feeling, even fighting alone Artoria would always be with him. He could see her now demolishing another golem further into the town. Even in the midst of battle he couldn't help but feel his spirits soar into the highest reaches. Caliburn sang with heavy blows, using advanced reinforcement to match the skills the sword imparted to him was difficult but not beyond him.

The golem once again lunged both of its heavy arms curled into massive fists to rain down on him. With a deft hop backwards he avoided the attack, rock and blast of wind met his face. These constructs were very impassive, far stronger physically and durable than anything they had faced before.

Digging his feet in Shirou sprang forward, Caliburn came around in a heavy swing cutting through the arm of the golem with a glut of sparks. Stepping around the construct he lunged at the legs, one under swing later and the construct collapsed in a heap. Sadly there was another one striding forward with its lumbering heavy gait. How many more of these things were there?

A glance backward showed that Oghren was having trouble with his opponent, only able to chip away at it with even his heaviest blows. Shirou focused and projected a longsword in his left hand, "Oghren! Catch!" The dwarf was quick on his feet and caught the blade by the hilt. It met the creature with a massive clank of sparks and the howl of metal on stone. Durandal, The Peerless Sword capable of remaining keen even when the user's prana ran out. Perfect for emergency use in this situation considering Oghren lacked any ability to supply the weapon with power of any kind. He thanked Gilgamesh for his arrogance.

Shirou regained focus just as the new golem thudding toward him tried to greet his face with its massive fist. Caliburn clashed flat on with the massive blow as he slid backwards. He could almost feel Artoria's scolding from within the blade or maybe that was his own imagination. Hopping backwards he gained some breathing room. It was at that moment that he felt something coming, whether it had been instinct or not he wasn't sure but he threw himself to the side without any grace at all.

Clawed appendages stabbed into the ground where only a moment ago he had been recovering from the massive blow. Dust hid the frame of whatever creature had attacked. Shirou could make out its shape however. He had no time to think on it further as the golem once again attacked, throwing a massive chunk of masonry at him and the creature. He rolled backwards into a ready stance Caliburn raised in a cross guard across his body. The dust settled and he confronted his new enemy.

It was horrible. An unholy mix of human insect and darkspawn was the closes recognition that he could give as to _what _it was. It stood on two blade like claws, balancing on reflexive limbs, on its front it had two more very similar appendages which looked like it could be used as claws for mobility or attack. On its back however was the most concerning aspect, it had six manoeuvrable blade claws mounted on flexible sinewy arms. Its face if you could call it that seemed to have a jaw that could open up revealing a multitude of lovely sharp teeth. It was poised for battle all of its eight inch blade claws were bobbing in the air like snakes.

Shirou looked on with a flat expression. Why…just why. His grip tightened on Caliburn as he heightened his focus, defending against all of those limbs at once would be a problem. Hopefully he wouldn't have to fight both the golems and these creatures as a united force or that would just be a pain. He was proven right a moment later as the golem came down on the creature like a ton of bricks. The creature deftly avoided all the blows however and latched onto the side of a nearby building. It leaped over the golem and sprang directly at him with a flurry of blows.

Caliburn met every blow and turned them away with only just enough speed to spare. Shirou sweated and reinforced his body further to match the inhuman speed this creature possessed. None of the demons had been this fast that was certain and darkspawn were joke compared to this creature. The speed and the ferocity of the blows forced him back but his guard remained tight and strong. As dangerous and fast as this creature was it wasn't enough to break through.

The golem was once again attacking both of them with rubble it had managed to grab, sling pieces of masonry in quick succession it broke the heated confrontation. Shirou slid back Caliburn once again held securely across his body. His eyes sought out Oghren. It wasn't pretty Oghren was having a hell of a time fending off the creature, thankfully he didn't have to contend with a golem as well.

Shirou frowned, his eyes left his opponents and stared past them. Artoria was matching blades with a hulking armoured 'man'; it wore spiked rust coloured armour, in its left hand it held a massive shield covered in spikes. It was armed with a massive two-handed blade that it wielded in a single hand, its swings were effortless and fast. The creature moved with speed belying its huge frame matching the King of Knights blow for blow.

Damn it. He clashed with the bladed creature once again. He couldn't help her at the moment, he had to deal with these two before coming to her aid. He hoped it was unnecessary, that she would finish the creature without incident. Somehow he got the feeling not everything would turn out so easily.

* * *

It happened the moment she had cloven her first golem, when Artoria was momentarily distracted with thoughts of her companions. She was brought back to attention by the cracking of shattering glass. Displaced air billowed explosively past her as she brought up Excalibur across her body in a guard. Green eyes narrowed as she saw familiar green fade energy snake out of a shattered jar.

Like a mirage appearing from the smoke a towering figure emerged, it was massively armoured in rusted spiked armour. Upon its 'head' a huge tarnished helm with up-turned nine inch spikes protruded towards the ceiling of the thiag, its eye sockets radiated red light like hot coals. The armaments it bore were just as obscene; a massive shield lacking any iconography apart from blades lining the front face of it, likely designed to mash its opponents if they got to close. The black sword it wielded was enormous nearly seven foot long from hilt to blade. The creature moved and did the oddest thing, it gestured in a pulling motion with its dominant hand.

Her planted feet lost contact with the ground. Artoria momentarily panicked as she was impossibly pulled through the air towards the creature, it speared out its weapon to impale her upon its sharp length. She turned her body using momentum and in a spinning arc and met the black blade with Excalibur in a clash of sparks. Her body spun as she met the ground, she took a wide stance close to the flag stones to recapturing her centre of gravity. The hulking creature had taken a step back at the unexpected riposte granting her a moment to think.

Telekinetics, gravity? It could move objects with force at a distance, what a fearsome ability! Had it been anyone else they would surely have died in that moment. She would need to engage this foe at close range, she didn't wish to be subject to any more surprise attacks even if she knew they were coming. She needed to finish this quickly, these golems were not easy foes she couldn't allow Shirou or Oghren to be harmed due to her inaction.

Blitzing forward she tried to strike past the creature's defenses but to her own personal surprise her blow was deflected aside with the massive shield it wielded. It returned with a massive overhead blow which she blocked using a prana burst. Its strength was enormous far more focused and direct than even the golem's was, around her the stone floor cracked and shattered.

She broke the block with momentarily superior strength and darted forward with a several blindingly fast stokes. The creature smartly didn't try to block with its sword and simply met the flurry of attacks with its heavy shield. Artoria was far to experience to fall for that however, she abandoned her attack in a faint and ducked low past the shield, she delivered a punishing stoke to its left leg. The creature was still extremely quick and removed the limb before anything more than a nick could be suffered.

Artoria continued past the creature and planted her feet strongly on the stonework sliding back, her stance perfect and her focus complete. This enemy if she had to gauge it was almost on the level of a servant, while she wasn't quite pushing herself to the maximum it was still matching her current strength blow for blow. Whether the creature had more latent power to pull out she simply wasn't willing to entertain. She looked past her opponent and noticed two hideous creatures had joined the fray against her companions. That simply would not do. Her green eyes narrowed in concentration, she would have to devote a little more prana to this it seemed.

She launched herself using a concentrated prana burst, a cloud of dust exploding from her previous position. Her speed was very much greater than the creatures now, this exchange would be the last. She narrowed her eyes watching for the creatures tells. It swung its massive blade in a downward backhanded arc across its shield. She lowered her charge and escaped under the blade into the creatures guard, it pushed its shield towards her now as a last defense. She brought Excalibur up parallel to the ground point facing the creature's massive steel shield. The last moments of the exchange counted down.

With her cry Excalibur pierced the shield, the creatures arm and its chest. The impact of her charge forced it to slide backward on its armoured feet. Artoria's eyes widened. The horrible face of the creature leered down at her, it's free hand still clutching its sword. It swung. Taking one hand from her weapon she trapped the black sword in her gauntleted grip, the shock nearly wrenched her arm from its socket.

It was at that moment that something ripped across the top of her back, right through the hidden chainmail beneath. Above the heavy plate on her back of her personal armour. She grit her teeth as she cried out. Fangs, multiple fangs had pierced the skin on her back.

Her eyes blurred, she focused on the massive creature she was grappling with, it had sank on her blade. She released the fiend and spin kicked whatever had attacked her away from her wounded form. A moment later she had seized Excalibur again and was searching for her attacker. Her sight was blurring, she couldn't see things all that clearly. Still she maintained her stance trusting that her instincts would protect her. She wondered about that. How had something managed to conceal its presence so completely from her as to gain a successful sneak attack?

She sank down on one knee, Excalibur propping her up. Had she been poisoned? It wouldn't matter in a few seconds, Avalon would tend to her wounds without incident. A few moments later she heard the sounds of combat cease, it seemed whatever had attacked her and her friends had fled. She let Excalibur rest against the ground as she felt at her damaged back. The wounds were already sealing themselves thankfully. The question was how; simple claws shouldn't have been enough to pierce even her skin never mind her armour.

"Artoria!? You're hurt!" Shirou she recognized by his voice, all she could really see was a rather indistinct smudge. She shook her head, her sight was thankfully improving. It must have been the shock. She felt Shirou grab her form and guide her to nearby stone bench.

She had been wounded! He should have been more careful, stayed closer to her! How could he be so neglectful? Shirou pulled out his pack and rifled through it for some bandages. A heavy hand laid on his frantic motions.

"There is no need Shirou, Avalon will heal my injuries in a moment." Her hand squeezed over his own, "Please…it's okay."

Shirou closed his eyes in worry and stress. The thought of losing her made his whole world shake in horror. After everything only to lose her over something like this? For his own wish to fulfil his ideals? The thought horrified him. He had been arrogant believing that nothing in this world could pose a threat to his lover. That her power was unmatched, unstoppable. How conceited. Soft lips pressed over his own for a moment vanquishing all thoughts of recrimination. His full focus should be on her, not his own mistakes!

Oghren looked on slightly mystified, were they married or courting or what? Stupid surfacers always being so complicated. What the heck were those sodding things anyway, all claw and blade? Didn't look like any darkspawn he had ever seen. Damned creepy though, fast and sharp, neither of them had managed to kill them, just hold them at bay. He glanced at the blade Shirou had tossed him during battle, it looked better than any paragon work he had ever seen and it could cut through the skin of a golem with ease. Heh crazy sodding surfacers.

"We'll make camp here in one of these buildings so you can recover. I'm sodding hungry anyway."

* * *

It had succeeded! The sweet blood of the gold one was Mothers now, it raced back to her to return its prize. The moment it attacked it had injected the taint into the golden one. It was so strong it couldn't feel what had entered its system. It scuttled alongside its brethren making quick time back to Mother.

Soon the gold one would feel it and then its task would be complete.

Mother will be so pleased!

**Author Note: **

Well, I hope everyone was pleased with this. I enjoyed writing it for certain! Big cliffy here :3

Next chapter is really evil, we cut back to Illya just to twist the evil cliffy even more. Illya gets more acquainted with the dwarves and their politics all while Dagna tries to keep her out of trouble. Will she succeed? Nah!

Anyway this chapter we saw the inclusion of a new antagonist the Mother :3 she was so under used in Awakening I honestly feel like she should have gotten more to do. So here she is :p. Out little stealthy friend will also stick around as it becomes more intelligent. :O Even monsters level up!

Anyway I hope you all enjoyed it. And please review!

Edit: Some slight alterations to combat and Artoria's wound to clarify things.


	9. Interlude: Me? A Paragon!

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Author Pre-notes: **Some answers to guest reviews. Come on guys log in :p

Guest2: Thank you for the kind comment, I try my hardest to think about what a character would be like in these situations. As for Avalon explanations look below.

Haek: Well thank you for your review even if you didn't say much ^_^/ if you have anything else to say that might be of help please leave another comment.

Guest1: Well Shirou and Illya can use magic as long as there are no witnesses they don't trust, in Orzammar it doesn't really matter considering they won't be running to the chantry. About Shirou's archery skills they are indeed impressive but he still needs a lot more experience to use what he has to the full potential. You could be right about Shirou's eye sight I hadn't really considered it before. Ahh yeah I personally hate the 'corruption' style story line too it's always a gut jerker.

**Notes on Avalon:**

I will talk about my reasoning for Avalon here and I will define its powers for everyone. These are canon statements so I haven't altered it in any way from Nasu.

The passive ability of Avalon is very simple. High speed regeneration, this grants the pseudo immortality that Artoria possesses. Aka unless you smash her skull in or remove her head she can't die. In essence it stops all degeneration of her body through healing damage including aging. This means she can't die from disease but Avalon doesn't actually stop her from getting sick near as I can tell.

The active ability of Avalon essentially disallows ALL influence. Aka she cannot be reached or effected by any outside force not native to her own personal concept. True magics cannot reach her.

What does this mean for her situation of being tainted? First and foremost the taint does not kill. It twists and changes its host into a ghoul. Essentially it's like a retro virus altering its victim into something else. Take a look at broodmothers if you don't believe me. True not all those who are tainted survive it is a very dangerous process for the body to undergo.

In truth this means that all Avalon can do in its passive mode is heal the damage suffered from the taint, but it cannot purge it. Much like if Artoria was stabbed in the gut with a sword, Avalon would heal the damage surrounding it but could not remove the weapon on its own. Someone else would have to do that to allow it to complete its job. Understand?

Only a fully released active Avalon can truly purge the 'taint' completely and disallow its influence on her body. I believe that's a fair analysis.

And in order for that to happen Artoria was cast it...then again she doesn't know anything is wrong with her does she.

**Chapter Nine: Me? A Paragon!  
**

It had been a day since she had quite violently encountered the oddity that was now known to her as Illyasviel von Einzbern. After she had gotten over her initial awe at her appearance it had been an awkward few moments of stuttered introductions. Dagna could safely say her own had been far more mundane. Even Illyasviel's name was exotic, so unlike the drab greyness that was Orzammar. Illyasviel once she 'forgot' their initial encounter had been a deluge of interest, everything was a question with her much to Dagna's personal joy. She had finally met her match, someone even more enthusiastic than her, except Illyasviel was interested in something that had long since lost its mystique in her own eyes, Ozammar itself.

At first her questions had been mundane, 'What is up there?' pointing at the higher tiers, 'Where do the other castes live?' ruby eyes bright with enthusiasm, 'How can you live with all the lava and not die?'…well mostly mundane. Then she started getting a little odd.

Paragons, anything and everything about Paragons was of interest to Illyasviel much to Dagna's own confusion. Why would a surfacer care so much about such a stale subject? She was quizzed on everything from what certain Paragons had been famous for to what the latest Paragon Branka had designed. While it was true that Dagna like many dwarves revered them, her personal knowledge of the older Paragons was spotty at best. All she could really give her new friend was a little insider information regarding Branka, about how much she had personally helped the smith caste with her smokeless coal.

After it became apparent she wasn't a gold mine of information, Illyasviel had gained a thoughtful expression on her face before out of the blue asking Dagna to take her on a tour the next day around Orzammar. As much as she wanted to oblige her new exotic friend she had her own responsibilities to attend to with her family….Ah who was she kidding, this would be far more exciting than pounding red steel into a shelf bracket!

They had parted with a promise to meet up and explore the 'wonders' of Orzammar. Dagna more than anything wanted to get to know this strange surfacer, and if it took touring around Orzammar to do it she would be happy to oblige.

Dagna had gone to sleep that night with visions of silver hair and ruby red eyes dancing in her mind's eye. Ideas of magical marvels, fantasies of casting spells ghosted in her imagination that night.

The next morning she threw on her best 'traditional' dress, her father Janar only ever bought what he thought was 'appropriate for his daughter'. Sneaking out early to avoid her father had been a trivial task, but one that had still made her heart rush with the defiance of the act. She would have to wait around for her friend considering the early hour, but she felt it was worth it. Hopefully Janar wouldn't come looking for her. It was nearly an hour before Dagna saw a flash of silver hair.

"Dagna-chan! You're already here!" Illyasviel ran up to her waving joyfully, she was wearing a long white dress with a small knapsack tied to her hip. The girl ran up and grabbed her slightly larger hands in her own small ones. Dagna couldn't help but blush slightly at the act. A strange form of address she had, was '–chan' an affectionate term?

"Of-f course I'm here. I couldn't let you wander around in the middle of Orzammar with no idea where to go, now could I?" Dagna had turned away and closed her eyes half way through her statement, moderately embarrassed at explaining her motives. She peaked open an eye to see Illyasviel laugh and place her hands on her hips.

"Hehee, thank you! Yesterday you talked about the proving grounds, can we see that first?" Illyasviel leaned forward in the cutest way, head slightly tilted to the left. Dagna felt any remaining reluctance fade into obscurity under the inescapable tide of cuteness.

"Aeh…sure! It's actually really nearby just over there." She pointed to the huge bridge stretching out over to a massive overhanging building that was out over the central lava lake that Orzammar was built around. Illyasviel couldn't help but look down in fright. She seized Dagna's hand in reflex.

"Muuuu, does…does anyone fall off?" Illyasviel's ruby eyes met her own in question. Dagna grinned, surfacers always asked that question, most dwarves would gleefully answer 'only stupid surfacers', this time she would answer truthfully.

"Some do when they are blind drunk, nobody's ever bothered to annoy the deshyrs enough about it though, so it basically goes ignored." Illyasviel looked on with concern as they reached the other side. The two dwarf guards nodded and opened the heavy doors for them.

"So what is the proving arena for?" Was her next innocent question. It was a good one, the proving was for all sorts of things other than watching grown men and women bash the tar out of each other. Dagna answered just as they reached the first balcony that overlooked the arena. There were no games currently in session so it was deserted, but it was a grand sight with massive paragon statues holding up the roof.

"Well mostly it's entertainment for the lower castes, keep them happy with games. But it's also a way to settle disputes between nobles in "honourable combat" that way the can do it legally and gain 'glory' for their trouble. Few nobles ever risk their necks in the provings as it can get quite dangerous. Dwarves are really tough but some do die." Dagna frowned, "It's also a way for the warrior caste to prove their worth, but honestly I think it's a waste of time and resources better spent elsewhere. Orzammar is under constant attack from the darkspawn, so I think games should be the last thing on our minds."

"Everyone likes to play games though!" Illyasviel's expression sobered, "Have you ever thought about what would happen if the defences failed?"

"I've imagined what it would be like, we would all be forced to become surface dwarves…I'm young, only seventeen, here I have to do everything my family says, 'Become the next Branka!' they say, 'We're smiths, we work forges it's what we do!' I get sick of it you know." Dagna thought about one of her personal hidden fantasies, the idea of the dwarves finally being free of the deep, finally able to be whatever they wanted to be. No castes. Her family was annoying but she still loved her home, but she wanted to roam far and wide as well!

"What does that mean? You say surface dwarf like it means something…I thought surface dwarves had their own caste." Illyasviel's confusion was genuine, from her own limited reading she hadn't realised that surface dwarves were something different.

"No, surface dwarves are casteless, sorta like some of the dwarves here that live in dust town. When they leave the city for the surface the shaperate say they lose their 'stone sense', whatever that is." Dagna scowled, "It's just traditional rubbish made up to stop the dwarves from leaving Orzammar, everyone's so afraid of losing their caste that none would dare venture out. Those that do are nearly always exiles or casteless that leave for the surface."

"Can we see this dust town? I'd like to see it." Illyasviel looked hopeful, her ruby eyes wide.

"I…I don't think that would be a good idea unless we were armed, the casteless haven't got much choice between either being criminals or beggars." Dagna replied intent on keeping her new friend out of trouble. She had visited once herself, it hadn't been pleasant.

"Don't worry! I've got magic! Nobody could stop me here." She smiled radiantly as if she were talking about some everyday occurrence. Dagna could barely control her next outburst.

"You have magic!? That's so amazing! Ohh, please you have to show me something, anything!" Bouncing from foot to foot as she clapped her hands, her gaze was almost feverishly intent on Illyasviel. She giggled at the attention, she flicked her silver hair back as she preened slightly.

"Okay, watch closely!" Illyasviel smiled and brought her hands together, Dagna could see a small silver hair cupped between her hands. The girl closed her eyes and just like 'magic' a small bird formed from silver light. Inside it Dagna could see clearly the strand of hair floating. It fluttered around on Illyasviel's hands before it hopped over to Dagna's palm. She could barely believe her eyes, she had never imagined she would ever get to see real live magic without having to go to the surface!

"It's so beautiful!" The magical bird hopped away before taking flight, it soared free into the high reaches of the proving arena before exploding in a shower of silver and gold light. Like fireflies the splinters of light descended on a soft breeze. Dagna had glistening eyes after the display. Wiping her eyes she turned back to Illyasviel, and in a spontaneous decision she hugged the other girl, thankful beyond words. "Thank you so much!"

"…Ehh it's no problem?" Illyasviel sounded mystified in her embrace, Dagna released the other girl after a moment embarrassed at her emotional response. Regaining her composure she continued.

"If you can do magic I suppose we couldn't be safer, so maybe just a short visit would be okay..." Illyasviel smiled contently and seized Dagna's hand leading her back out of the provings arena.

* * *

Dust town was just as Dagna remembers, the one time she had gotten curious and ventured down here she had nearly gotten lost in the winding mess of dark streets much to her own panic. It was the site of the ancient dwarven palaces of old Orzammar before the city had expanded. This was the original thaig that had grown up into a massive metropolis. Now though, it was only the home of thieves and beggars. The casteless were disallowed in dwarven tradition and law from any job. The only thing a casteless was allowed to do in Orzammar legally was join the Legion of the Dead or if you were a woman become a concubine for a noble.

Dagna could barely contain her disgust at the thought. Her race exalted their culture and traditions but allowed things like that to happen. The casteless were a large body of population that simply sat idle and either wasted away or turned to crime. If the casteless were to take up arms they would be an army of thousands, enough that it might be possible to retake multiple thiags back from the darkspawn. Yet here they slumbered rotting. Paragons could come from anywhere even the casteless, with regards to that tradition there was no distinction. So why was it that Orzammar continued to follow this ridiculous exercise?

The answer was simple: stupidity. The noble houses were all so tied up in tradition and playing the "game" that they simply would not attend to reality. The darkspawn would eventually destroy them all, this was a fact, dwarves could only breed so fast, darkspawn however may as well sprout up from holes in the ground for how unlimited their numbers seemed to be. King Endrin was a traditionalist and staunchly resisted any change that might be suggested. To Dagna she couldn't understand how anyone so stupid could become king for any length of time. Who cared about tradition if they were all in danger of being wiped out?!

Illyasviel stood beside her looking out into the darkness of Dust town, the dark was punctuated by small fires and lanterns throughout the ruins. The stink was incredible, the sewage system was likely broken or blocked in multiple places, and without maintenance the situation would likely persist for another ten generations before some disease would motivate a deshyr to actually do something about it. They passed rag wearing or diseased dwarves left and right holding out hands begging for any mercy. She glanced at Illyasviel, she looked stunned at the state of the people here, probably never imagining that the dwarves hid such a deplorable state under their impressive city.

"Why do these dwarves stay here? Anything would be better than this!" her tone was low and half strangled by the smell. Her ruby eyes were narrowed into slits.

"Mostly because they were born here and they don't believe it can be any better. To them leaving for the surface would be going down a peg" Dagna thought about the situation, if anyone needed help it was the casteless here. But nobody bothered, the nobles were fools if they didn't realize there was strength that could be accepted here.

"Could a Paragon change this?" The question came out of the blue. Dagna wasn't really sure, she didn't know if any had ever tried to do something about it in the past.

"I…don't know. They are revered as living ancestors, to defy a Paragon is unthinkable to most dwarves…" Illyasviel's expression seemed to harden even more. Her small soft hand wrapped around her own.

"I need to go someplace that records the history of Orzammar, is there such a place?" Histories? Maybe the shaperate? She wants to puzzle over a bunch of mouldy old documents? Whatever for?

"I can show you to the shaperate, it's basically where the history of Orzammar is recorded." Illyasviel's expression softened, pleased with the response. Dagna got the feeling that her new friend was up to something.

She hoped Illyasviel knew what she was doing, if not then Dagna resolved to keep her out of trouble as well as she could. Orzammar was a jungle and it had many predators, she just hoped Illyasviel avoided the worst of them.

* * *

Illyasviel soon lost her pensive mood when she entered the diamond quarter on the way to the shaperate. Dagna didn't often come up here, mostly sticking to the commons and the forges there, or rather her family stopped her from roaming too far. Her new friend couldn't resist running up to the view, it really was impressive, seeing it through new eyes made Dagna realize just how amazing it was. They were high up on the upper levels looking down at the commons markets, small dwarves dotted about looking like tiny ants against their massive surroundings. The central overhang that held up the proving arena jutted down from the cavern ceiling hundreds of meters up.

"Wooaaaah, you can't see it from down in the commons to well but Orzammar is huge!" Illyasviels glittering ruby eyes darted about enthusiastically, trying in vain to capture all the sights and sounds of the city proper.

"Yeah, the nobles love it up here, lets them think they are up and away from the 'common' people." Dagna didn't begrudge them commandeering the best view, but did they have to be so snobby about it. Just say you want the best view and that you'll pay for it.

"Mah, that's the same in any city! Doesn't mean we can't enjoy it!" Illyasviel's whimsical grin was infectious, her eyes turned up in a closed smile before she open them again to take in the sight.

"I haven't asked yet but….why are you in Orzammar? You have lots of questions about the strangest things, Paragons for example." Dagna broached the subject that had been spinning in her mind for some time.

"Oh..eh I'm here with my brother and his girlfriend, they're off doing important business. I decided I would explore the city and learn about the dwarves. Then I met you!" Illyasviel seemed a little uncomfortable at the question, whatever business her family was up to seemed a bit strange, the only surfaces she had heard of recently had disappeared into the deep roads with some half mad dwarf. Her father had come back from Tapsters joking about crazy surfacers trying their luck in the deep.

"Ahh, so the shaperate is up here, past the royal palace and the assembly, we can't go in there unless we have business sadly, so I suppose you can only look." Dagna led her friend up the stairs past the smaller royal palace entrance. The next entrance was enormous leading into the assembly hall, where the deshyrs would assemble to moan and backstab each other.

"You mentioned deshyrs before Dagna, are they nobles or something else?" Illyasviel seemed confused at the distinction.

"Deshyrs are just the heads of noble houses, you can understand why very little changes around here considering they mostly fight over things that personally interest them. Other than the mundane they vote on matters like electing a new King, or say declaring a living ancestor." Dagna threaded in the last example because Illyasviel seemed inordinately interested in the subject. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a half crooked smirk flit across the girls face, but that couldn't be right…could it? A moment later Illyasviel was all smiles again.

The next building they came to was rather unassuming with a wide entrance, not grand or fancy in it architecture. The shaperate was an odd organisation, completely hell bent on tradition and the cataloguing of events, they were the architects of dwarvern culture and history. But again it wasn't an impartial group, they were made up of nobles and could be influenced to 'alter' the histories if given enough gold or motivation from their house. Much of history likely didn't resemble what had originally been quilled due to all the 'revisions' over the years.

"This is it, but please Illyasviel try not to get us into trouble, in all honesty we shouldn't even be here. I'm not sure if they would let a surfacer look at the records to begin with." Her friend nodded and looked submissive and quite contrite, hopefully she would behave, Dagna had no doubt if something happened they might be thrown out or worse.

Entering the building it was clear that the shaperate was set up to be part museum and part library. The row upon row of book cases stretched nearly a fifty meters into the rock, creating a cavernous hall filled to the brim with books. Everything was quilled in lyrium allowing it to last for a very long time, long enough that it would be hundreds of years before it would need to be rewritten. At the end of the long thoroughfare were two large heavy doors, beyond that Dagna knew they contained the last few golems that Orzammar currently had in their possession. Artefacts of a bygone era and part of the dwarves last line of defense, only awoken in times of great need.

Illyasviel paced forward in momentary awe, eyes wide. This must have been the largest collection of books and artifacts she had ever seen. From what limited reading she managed to do the surface had little that could match this massive collection. What Dagna didn't know was that Illyasviel was momentarily amazed at the fact that the dwarves allowed all this material to be more or less freely read. Back on earth such libraries on this scale were common place. Here however, this record was likely the only one of its kind currently on Thedas outside of Val Royeaux, capital of Orlais, or a Mages Circle.

Dagna led her friend down the various book shelves towards the middle of the room, they would need to speak to the Shaper of Memories first before they laid hands on anything. Besides he likely knew where all the Paragon material was anyway, the books didn't seem to be in order of letters either.

The Shaper was an old man with white hair and enormous beard that reached his belt buckle, he wore a rather archaic monk-like robe. He was currently sitting at a desk overlooking an enormous scroll of rather absurdly small writing. His aged eyes surveyed them with a passing look before greeting them formally.

"Atrast vala, you are one of the smith caste, your dress iconography tells me so, you however are no dwarva even if you have the height of one." He didn't move from his seated position, "I would question why you have come here, but people only come here for answers to questions."

"Yes Shaper of Memories, my friend and I wish to know more about the Paragons, I thought it would be harmless for a surfacers to learn more about them." Dagna was very careful around this dwarf, he had great influence, offending him could cause enormous trouble for her family and new friend.

He eyed her carefully, "I see, it is good that a surfacer shows interest even if it is unusual. The twenty third aisle contains the majority of recordings on the Paragons, take care not to damage them." With that he returned to his work. Dagna backed away and dragged Illyasviel away with her.

"Phew, please don't make me talk to any more nobles, they give me all kinds of funny feelings!" Illyasviel looked rather mystified at the interaction, it was only natural after all her grasp of dwarven society was quite limited.

The twenty third section was an extensive one with works on Aeducan, Bemot and other less esteemed Paragons like Vollney. All were collected here in one section, no distinction was made on the scale of their works or contribution. Dagna found that strangely humble in her opinion, all the Paragons were equal here. The spines of the books stared out at them, their runic names enamelled perfectly in lyrium. Illyasviel at first looked delighted before a rather embarrassed blush roared across her face.

"Oh…I forgot it would all be written in the dwarven language…" Her friend looked over pleadingly, "Could you please read some of it for me?"

"It's no so strange, not many dwarves can read or write the runic language, most just stick to the common tongue.", Dagna smirked at her companion, "You're in luck though, I just happen to be fully fluent in it! I loved learning about the runic system! Lyrium enchantment is based upon it after all!"

Illyasviel smiled widely, "Please try and look for anything to do with the selection process; I'm interested in how they are chosen." What a peculiar request, that was possibly the stuffiest aspect about the Paragons. Why not ask about their deeds or their inventions?

Still she did as her friend asked and searched down the lines of books, carefully examining each spine. Illyasviel hovered over her excited or impatient, probably both. Ah, here was something that might match her needs. 'Assembly History: Paragons', oh she could just tell this one would be interesting. Hopefully she wouldn't have to carry her new friend out of the shaperate after falling asleep. A cursory glance suggested it was a history of Paragon's elected and their interaction with the assembly, she was sleeping already.

"This one might be what you're looking for, we can have a look through it if you want…" About enthusiastic as if she was advocating watching paint dry.

"I'm sorry Dagna, but trust me this is important. Look up Paragon Branka, I would like to know a little about her as well!" Illyasviel gifted her with a radiant smile…oh all right she would put up with the stuffy tomes if only to please her.

* * *

Four hours…..four hours of grinding through each new tome that Illyasviel requested. In her defense the girl looked just as tired as Dagna felt. She had been taking notes throughout the entire session, strangely it looked a bit like common tongue but the punctuation was off. What could push Illyasviel to be so intense on this subject, this went way beyond simple interest. Simple interest was browsing through a few of the more famous Paragon stories before having enough. This was nothing less than a dissection of everything Paragon. Dagna felt her mood finally boil over, she had wanted to spend an enjoyable day away from her father, and instead she was locked in here with piles of old tomes. Okay so she enjoyed old tomes, but only as long as they were about magic!

She placed the tome she had in her hands firmly back on the table they were working at, resisting the irrational urge to throw it at the wall.

"Illyasviel, what is this really about? I can understand you being interested but this goes way beyond that!" Dagna glared at her companion, demanding an explanation. Illyasviel looked up from her notes, slight tired bags under her eyes. The ruby eyes closed before re-opening. She glanced about, assured that there was nobody about she placed her hands together and knelt down to touch the flagstones with her small finger tips. An almost imperceptible mirage like ripple flashed through the area. Dagna tried to suppressed any surprise she felt, a magical barrier of some kind? Why would she feel the need to do that?

Illyasviel seemed to drop any pretence in her stance. It was far more focused than before, very unlike the young girlish posture she projected before. Dagna was confused was the playful Illyasviel from before a lie, was this the 'real' Illyasviel?

"I'm sorry I dragged you about town today but I needed to know certain things for my plans to work. I wanted to get to know you, to learn your opinions on certain things." Dagna's eyes widened, she was _testing_ her? Why? Had she just been using her? Did she pretend to enjoy the time spent with her today?

"You were…what? Testing me? Why?!" her voice was cracked as it struggled to produce the words.

"Because I needed to know if you were the right one to choose. I couldn't just pick someone that had the wrong attitude." Choose?! Was she really so cold as to speak of it in such a way? Dagna almost felt her eyes build up with liquid. Is that what this was really about, some test being conducted on a willing test subject?

"W-were you…pretending today?" The question was low, Dagna hid her eyes with her hair as she bit her lip.

There as light laugh, "Of course not! I really enjoyed being with you today!" Dagna looked up wiping her eyes, for a moment the playful Illyasviel had made a reappearance. "But I admit today I had other motives, I needed to find information and you were invaluable in that. Along this vein I have a question for you…How would you like to shut up your family forever?"

Dagna raised her eye brows, how could she do that? She was young, still a child by dwarven standards, it wouldn't be until she was in her twenties that she could make her own decisions if ever. Wait…everything Illya had been talking about, Paragons…how Paragons were made. Did she…but that was absurd!

"You mean…you can't possibly be serious!" her exclamation hushed and strangled, the very thought of anyone overhearing the conversation filling her with dread. She looked around, the aisles were clear.

"I am, how would you like to be a Paragon?" Illyasviel was dead serious, for the first time her ruby eyes portrayed an intense sort of gravity, her gaze fixed upon her with a certainty. Nobody had ever looked at her that way, like they could see an assured future laid out in the stone.

* * *

Dagna didn't sleep that night, her exotic new friend Illyasviel knew something of impossible value. She was willing to give her this knowledge in return for future favours. Though not a dwarf Illyasviel knew how to play the 'game' of nobility already. She said she liked Dagna but everything came with a price, of equal exchange, this knowledge had an unknown price. To be Paragon?! Dagna could scarcely believe it! She knew it wasn't all gold and gemstones though. It meant facing the nobility regularly, being forced to join the game out of necessity. Was she really ready for that? She laughed at herself in bed, she was barely ready to defy her own father never mind something like this!

Her offer was incredible, as it was scary. Gain all the power she would ever need, power to change Orzammar for the better. Branka had only been interested in her inventions, she had never bothered with anything but that. Dagna admired that single minded approach but…it was so ignorant in a way, Branka had ignored the world around her, she had been given a boon, the capacity to light the way forward for the dwarven people but she had thrown it all away.

Could Dagna say that she wouldn't do the same? She chuckled at getting ahead of herself; that was if they could even pull it off in the first place. Illyasviel had spent their last four hours together compiling everything she could find about the noble houses and the way they voted on the decision to make Branka a Paragon. She needed that information to judge how the politics would flow in the present.

All of this paled in comparison to what it was exactly that she was offering. Illyasviel had jokingly asked her if she had heard of Qunari 'gaatlok', it wasn't common knowledge to be sure but the smith caste of Orzammar had been trying to discover the surfacer formula. While their lyrium explosives were powerful they were still unpredictable and dangerous at the best of times. Not to mention that creating them wasn't cheap only to see it literally go up in a cloud of smoke. The miners caste had set them on the road to create a version of it for themselves. The Qunari however kept the formula under lock and guard, so political bargaining and espionage was out.

It had been decades since they had started researching a way to do it. Many had high hopes that Branka would finally solved the problem, but like everything not 'within' her interest it fell to the wayside. Illyasviel was offering a formula for something she called 'black powder', a substance that was made from mundane cheap materials with minimal effort. She also said it could also be used to power Qunari 'cannons' if refined enough. Or so she said. It wasn't that she didn't believe her new friend, it's just she found it exceedingly strange that someone could just appear out of the blue and have this knowledge to freely give of it.

Dagna could barely comprehend what it would mean to Orzammar, if they had cheap explosives they could use at will: mining would be far cheaper and easier, tunnel defenses would be practical to set up, maybe cost effective hand held bombs to toss into combat. She envisioned entirely new weapons that could be used against the darkspawn, like the Qunari weapons but smaller! Small enough that a dwarf could carry it on their shoulder!

This was knowledge that had the potential to turn lowly Dagna, daughter of Janar the Armourer into Orzammar's newest Paragon. That was, if she didn't die before that could happen…

**Author Note:**

Well that was shorter than usual.

Mostly this is an interlude to show what Illya is up to. We can see her being a right little manipulator here. Also gunpowder, like the idea or not? I know that Dagna is fanatical about all things magic, I'm not saying she won't be but this could be a real game changer for the dwarves. Cheap explosives that anyone can buy. Plus Dagna has already started dreaming up ways to use it. Dagna is Paragon material with or without Illyas help. This is only accelerating the process.

Dagna will always be a magic head so if you want to suggest some ideas she could come up with feel free to fire away :p

We will cut back to Artoria and Shirou next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Please tell me if I missed any punctuation, also has my writing actually gotten better since the beginning? Looking back I can't believe how bad it was.

Anyway thanks for reading and please review.


	10. The Creeping Dark

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Chapter Ten: The Creeping Dark**

Ortan thiag was still eerie even with all the immediate monsters and defences defeated. In fact it was worse, the dead quiet that had fallen over the ruins was unnerving at best and paranoia inducing at worst. Artoria could feel the dead leering down on them from across the ages, one thing was certain the spirits of this place did not rest easily. She had found this was always the case with ancient sites of battle, where many had died. On earth the same could be said, spirits weighed heavily on the world, myths of great battles of horrendous death tolls created concepts that pushed deeply on any visitors. In essence they were cursed.

Here it was different, almost like the dwarves that had lived here long ago still lived here. But how could that be possible? Normally the dead return to the root, perhaps this had something to do with the world and its damaged system? Or perhaps dwarves weren't actually like humans…this contemplation was beginning to annoy her. If only Rin was here she could have solved half of their problems with her usual head strong attitude, not mentioning her deep reserves of lore.

She was languishing on one of the stones benches of the thiag, trying with all her might to feel at ease. If she had gotten her own way she would be out clearing the rest of this ruin with Shirou and Oghren. Her lover however had been very obstinate in demanding that she rest after her wound, even although both of them knew just how potent Avalon was at eliminating such damage. It gave her some time to think for which she was very grateful.

Artoria wasn't sure what to make of Shirou's idea of creating an organisation for heroes, it felt both unbelievably naïve and yet strangely practical. He was taking direct steps to fulfil his dreams, he understood that on his own his chances of achieving it were little to none, but with help suddenly it was reachable. It showed he was both growing up but also reaffirming his belief in his ideals. Artoria if she admitted it to herself was proud of him and not a little bit jealous of his resolution.

When she was king she had taken on the burden completely, her knights had been tools, heroes in every sense of the word, but they never had the responsibility of the nation place upon them. Artoria had never shared with them her weaknesses her struggles or her doubts. They never knew that she wasn't the indomitable king ever striving forth, unstoppable to their eyes. Shirou wanted to share his ideals with everyone, he had learned in a few years what had taken her decades and near death to reconcile. In many ways she was far more stubborn than Shirou, she just had decades of experience that he lacked to mellow her temperament.

Regardless she would help him in whatever endeavour he wished, she wanted to see the ultimate outcome of his ideals and she would be with him every step of the way holding him up whenever he faltered. She only wished she had allowed someone to do the same in her previous life. She shook her head as she sat up, banishing the errant thought.

Artoria blushed slightly thinking about their relationship, they had definitely gotten closer over the past few weeks. Sharing a bed for warmth inevitably led to some heavy petting, but that was about as far as she was willing to go without making it "official". Their night together at the Einzberns had been one of necessity, while it was true their burgeoning feelings had risen high their connection had been nowhere near as deep as it was now. At the time they had barely known anything about each other.

Now things were different, a real future was possible between them in this world. Artoria wanted to indulge herself just a tiny bit by trying to do things in a slightly more old fashioned way. Her first marriage had been a sham considering it was between two women, neither of whom had been particularly interested in each other's sex.

Her attention was snatched away from her internal musings moments later. A small shadowed figure darting in and out of view had caught her eye. The shadow is small like a genlock and seems to steal glances at her before ducking away. She stands up into a ready stance. Her superior sight takes a moment to identify the 'creature', a dwarf of particularly sickly countenance wearing ragged dirty scouting leathers. His dark beady eyes surveying her for a moment again before once again fleeing her sight.

"Please come out…I won't hurt you." Her voice is soft but commanding. There is a moments silence before she sees her unexpected visitor shuffle out into the light. He is crouched low to the ground maintaining three points of contact at all times. His gaze is dipped down, staring at her feet…no the dirt beneath her feet. His face is pale and lined with stress, his eyes she recognises are milky an indication of his status as a ghoul. An individual corrupted by the blight but has not yet died from it. As far as they knew from Avernus ghouls could live for an indeterminate amount of time, some days others years and decades. Grey wardens were a form of ghoul themselves having mastered the taint of an archdemon as opposed to a regular darkspawn.

He crouches further before creeping forward on his hands and knees head bowed in what she guessed was supplication. His skittishness is much like a wild animal's drawn forward by its own insatiable curiosity. His eyes dart up at her before shying away ashamed or afraid she could not tell.

"You…you sing to Ruck. So beautiful…I will do anything you ask! Anything!" His voice is grainy and twisted, his tone belies a fervour that went beyond simple awe.

Artoria could only frown, "What do you mean sing? I have made no sounds but those words to pull you from the shadows…"

"You sing more now, stronger than before…far stronger! Ruck could not ignore any longer, so beautiful!" His clouded eyes stared upward his awe apparent to her, his expression quickly went from awed to frightened…no terrified. "No….you must stop! If you sing too much the dark ones will hear you and come! You must not let them!"

The darkspawn she supposes, but how can they hear her? She knew that grey wardens could 'sense' darkspawn, but to her knowledge it wasn't a two way street. Meaning that a darkspawn could not sense a grey warden in return.

"Why would they come, how do you know?" Her green eyes flashed demanding an answer. He seemed to shrink in on himself in pain or shame she could not tell.

"Because Ruck couldn't stop! They will come!" His voice warbled in with half sobs and pain, "If the dark ones come they will kill Ruck and you pretty singer! Please stop singing so loud!"

How can she stop doing something she doesn't even know she is doing? Wait…the old gods…they were dragons. Was it possible that the darkspawn were sensing her magical core? Unlike a normal magus she was born with the heart and circuits of a phantasmal creature within her. A red dragon to be precise. It allowed her to produce enormous amounts of prana far more than any magus could. She would try to slow her production, this would be an excellent chance for her to verify some facts about the 'Old Gods'.

"Listen carefully Ruck, tell me if the song quietens?" She slowed her breathing and her heart rate, she could feel the inner core of her being dampen. Suppressing her prana output like this was dangerous, if she pushed too far she could end up like before when she was starving for power outside the Einzbern's castle. Shirou could likely jump start her production again, but they didn't have Rin to 'oversee' the process in this world. It would be a cold day in hell before she allowed Illya to 'oversee' anything remotely to do with a ritual like that.

Ruck seemed to calm the fervour that had possessed his body moments before, it slowly released before he slumped in relief. "Yes yes, quiet, much quieter. Sing soft so the dark ones don't hear!" To his ears the pretty singing died away until it was a low hum caressing his ears. To his eyes her form became bearable to look at, no longer was she the luminescent goddess descendant on the planes of the world.

Artoria sighed, that confirmed it then, either she had a unique effect on the darkspawn and those that were corrupted or the Old Gods were phantasmal beasts. That wasn't good news, if they were indeed such creatures their power would be immense…then again if the world is in such a state that Thedas's own version of Gaia was dead or unconscious how strong would these creatures be? It was certainly information to carry back to Illya and Avernus so that they could pool their understanding to uncover the true root of this problem.

"Thank you Ruck…but who are you and what are you doing down here? I can't imagine many could survive for long down here." She grimaced, what was there to eat down here apart from spider goo and darkspawn…well she supposed there were mushrooms.

"Ruck is a smith, hurt someone, killed them in a fight, ran away before they could kill me!" His head dipped in shame, Artoria could only stare on in pity, this poor benighted creature had suffered greatly down here it seemed. Far more than he would have had he just accepted punishment. "Eat mushrooms but not always enough…eat the dark ones…the only way." Her hand covered her mouth in horror, it would have been better to die than to exist like this.

"Others came here before you, a big dwarf house! They hurt Ruck and chased him away, but this is Ruck's place, keep my shinies here!" He pulls out his knapsack, it is filled with small pieces of armour daggers and a few jewels. "See, not a shiny as you though!" His declaration was probably meant as a compliment, so she accepted it in good humour.

"Couldn't you go home Ruck? It would be better than this." Artoria wanted to help this creature…he was pitiable. Perhaps it would be a mercy to put him out of his misery but she simply didn't have the heart to do it. Her days of deciding who lived and died were far behind her.

"No go home, better dead than go home. Once you take in the darkness, you not miss the light so much" So he hides in the dark in his wretchedness. The longer you live in the dark the more likely you are to join those monsters in the shadows she thought. "Follow you Ruck would, Ruck likes the pretty song you sing. Ruck can help do things, find shinies, avoid dark ones and protect you!"

Artoria doesn't know what to say, this poor dwarf has nothing, no less than nothing. She could not deny him something as simple as following her. Perhaps it would bring him some small measure of peace. Besides he likely knew far more about moving around in the deep roads that all of them combined, Oghren included.

"Very well, don't be afraid of Shirou and Oghren when they return, they are my friends and companions. You have nothing to fear from them."

* * *

The deeper reaches of the thiag were dark, the small sky lights that dotted the main cavern were absent from the lower more winding areas. Shirou and his companion Oghren were slowly searching their way through the darkened areas. Ruin by ruin, house by deserted house. They had found various signs of habitation but still no indication of where Branka had used as her temporary 'command center' likely the only place they might be able to find some information on her whereabouts.

While he searched through the dust of a nearly collapsed building, Shirou considered recent events. He had been careless in the extreme, he had assumed that Artoria could handle anything that could be thrown at her in this world. That belief had been blown out of the water not more than a few hours ago. In this world he had continued to train with Artoria but he had lacked the fervour of desperation that had coloured his efforts before. The motivation of defying the long odds that were involved in facing servants were now absent. In his foolish mind he had believed that little if anything in this world could match the strength and power of a servant like Artoria.

He had never imagined he could be guilty of arrogance like that, somewhere across the multiverse a golden king was laughing his ass off. It served to harden his resolve to redouble his training, he couldn't afford to make mistakes like that again. He should have been capable of wiping out those golems quickly so he could watch Artoria's back properly. Fighting together he was certain they could overcome any adversary, that wasn't simple arrogance it was the belief in their combined teamwork.

He winced thinking about how irrational he had been concerning her wounds. She had been correct, her injuries had more or less sealed as quickly as they had been made. In the mildly hysteric aftermath he had 'commanded' –read: begged- her to rest while they did the leg work of the search. That had been about an hour ago.

Oghren appeared nearby kicking a rotted stone door from its damaged hinges. His eyes darted about looking for clues, if anyone would find something it would be Oghren. Clasped in his hand was Durandal, having once again been projected for his use in case they ran afoul of any more golems.

"Hey Shirou, I got a few questions for you. You just "poofed" this weapon from sodding nowhere, I don't know crap about magic but I thought it was all fire balls and pretty lights not cold hard steel. Not to mention this is the best blade I have ever sodding seen…heh never mind what it can do to golems" He once again glanced down at the beautiful peerless blade, the quality of its workmanship really was beyond any paragon work. It looked like some frilly thing you would gift a king but it had strength of a hundred work blades.

"It's my own magic, I can't do fire balls or anything else, all I can do with any reliability is create blades. That weapon is called Durandal 'the peerless blade'…I saw it once being used against me. That one is a fake in other words, but it still carries all of the abilities the original had. That's the strength of my magic, any blade I see I can recreate, enchantments as well." Shirou frowned at his own skills, he was glad he had advanced so much but it was still the act of creating a fake of the original.

"You faced it in combat? I wouldn't want to face this sodding thing! Heh all I can say is you could put the paragons themselves to shame if you started selling these." Oghren grinned at the thought, half the smith caste would collectively die from apoplexy. The thought of a surfacer being able to just conjure masterwork equipment from nowhere with no apparent effort would pull on so many peoples beards it wasn't even funny.

Shirou frowned, he still wasn't sure what to think of his conjuration lasting for as long as they did. If they weren't broken or damaged they would act much the same as normal weapons. Essentially they were permanent copies. Considering that they were each noble phantasms that meant a weapon of equal scale and legend would be needed to counter them, so in essence unless they weren't cancelled by himself he was adding permanent concepts to the world. An unsettling idea, it sounded almost god-like in nature. So far he had avoided allowing their existence for very long, always dispelling his creations after use. For example he hated the idea of carrying around Artoria's Caliburn like it was his own weapon, it wasn't his and never would be, it would feel like too disrespectful to her to do so.

"Oghren those creatures we face earlier…what were they? Darkspawn or something else?"

The red headed dwarf shrugged, his heavy plated shoulders clanking. "I donno, creepy bastards is all I can say. Never seen anything like em, maybe darkspawn maybe something else. I can count on one hand the number of things we actually know about darkspawn, one they're ugly, two they stink and three they try to kill just about everything. Only people I can think of that might know anything more would be the grey wardens."

Shirou frowned, he was certainly going to join Illya in cross examining Avernus's knowledge once they returned to the keep.

They venture further, examining more of the surrounding houses, all were empty but some showed visible evidence of habitation. Branka had lived here for some time that was certain, even some of the basic plumbing had been repaired, toilets and the like. It would make sense considering how hard it was to dig latrines underground. Thirty minutes later and Oghren had found what they were looking for.

"Ahh here we go, finally something solid to go on. I hate chancing it on just tracks alone." He trudged forward over the ancient wreckage, in his hands was a sheath of partly soiled papers. Discarded notes written in coded dwarven that Oghren seemed to be capable of puzzling out. Once again Shirou was grateful for his company.

"Looks like she figured out where the Anvil was…dammit Branka you led your house into a sodding darkspawn fortress?" At Shirou's questioning look he continued, "Remember Bownammar, the Legion of the Dead's fortress, now a darkspawn nest? She would have had to clean it out to get through, they must had damn near lost half the house to do it! Caridin constructed his Anvil in the deep reaches of the fortress, to get to it you would have to first get through the legion, now it has darkspawn in residence."

Oghren began pacing forward, Shirou followed alongside. He was curious now, he could tell that Oghren knew a lot more about Branka than any normal dwarf. His pensive expression was more than enough to tell Shirou that. Oghren seemed to be following directions from the notes. They soon came to a large opening onto another highway stretching off into the dark.

"Oghren, what is Branka to you? It seems like you're closer to her than just any dwarf, you know things about her that I wouldn't have expected." Shirou tried to word it carefully, it wouldn't do to pry too brazenly.

"Heh we should be…she's my sodding wife." Shirou's eyes widened, he was expecting maybe family but wife? That was a surprise. "Yeah just one day she up and left with the whole damn house, I was drunk as a sodding deep mad nug the night before, slept like a damn log."

"I..I'm sorry I didn't want to bring up bad memories." Shirou felt for Oghren really, he could imagine how rotten he would feel if Artoria just up and left without any goodbye or message. It would destroy him.

"Peh, they aren't bad memories…let's just say me and Branka never really got on so well." His eyes lightened, "You could spend one second speaking to her and you would know she had a mind full of marvels…Me? I'm just some drunk fool with rocks for brains that can swing an axe really hard. You can imagine what we would talk about…"

"But…even after all that I still care what happens to her, who would I be if I just let my wife walk out of my life?" Oghren barked a laugh. Shirou smiled if anything Oghren was doing the right thing, even if Branka had left him of her own free will it didn't mean that Oghren would just let her go die in a hole.

"I didn't ask originally but what the heck do you get out of helping me search for Branka?" Oghren's red bushy eyebrows bounced in question, his gaze fliting from the coded messages up to his companion.

"Originally it was to gain political favour so that I could make a deal with the King of Orzammar. I want to start a new organisation, one that will be focused on helping all peoples everywhere…well eventually." Oghren had stopped walking and was staring at Shirou like he was some kind of rare space alien. A beat later and the thiag was filled for the first time in hundreds of years with uproarious dwarven laughter, it spiralled up into the reaches of the cavern echoing mockingly.

"Not a chance in sodding hell, Endrin doesn't give a damn about the surface. The only group he might even consider helping are the grey wardens, anything else forget it." Shirou looks crestfallen at his idea being shredded, but Oghren continues, "You could try and gain favour with some of the noble houses, they're like sodding snakes but they might be interested in having a few free favours even now and again."

"Thanks Oghren…also I'm not helping just because of my own reasons anymore, I want to help reunite you with Branka. I think of you as a friend, so how could I not help a friend in need?"

"Heh…Thanks."

* * *

The mother was pleased, her children had performed wonderfully. They had delivered the stolen blood to her as she commanded. Even now she could hear the quite murmurings of the song return to her ears. It was ecstasy to hear it again, her mutilated body twisted and turned in painless pleasure.

She caressed the smart child she had made, it had succeeded at its task far better than even she had predicted. It would be useful in the future, a born spy for her future plans.

The stolen blood, she could already feel it being absorbed into her bloated body. It burned like fire and roared in her veins. The power of a dragon! But not like the common dragons that infested the world, no this was something entirely different!

This what she imagined gaining an old gods untainted blood would be like, the purity was undeniable as it flowed through her vanquishing the pain at long last. She was changing, this power would grant her abilities no darkspawn had ever achieved, not even that 'heathen' the Architect.

Her new children would be strong, they would soar into the sky away from this dark hole and bring taint and ruin upon all the lands of Thedas.

* * *

The thiag was echoing strangely to Artoria's senses, every shadow was beginning to look suspicious the more she rested here. Like a creeping dark shape in the corner of your eye. She knew there wasn't anything in range, her instincts were far too sharp for her to miss something when completely focused. She heightened her focus internally and externally, determined to put her fears to rest.

Artoria could feel _things_ at the edge of her perception. Something was wrong she could feel it. Was it within her or without? Was she being watched? No…this is something different. Ruck swung his head around, wildly turning it at odd angles, listening to sounds she could not hear. Or _could _she hear them?

"What is it Ruck? Did you hear something?" Artoria distracted herself by focusing on the moment, she watched as Ruck's eyes rolled and twitched before focusing on her.

"Dark ones, some are coming, days away yet. Only few, easy to avoid. No worries for you golden master!" Artoria winced he had taken to calling her master, something she couldn't dissuade him from. Artoria wondered at his 'sensing', did he hear the darkspawn like a grey warden or was it somehow different?

Artoria frowned, the information that her mere presence could draw out darkspawn was unsettling, this certainly wasn't the case days ago. She couldn't slow down her prana production any further without it being a danger to herself and others should her ability to fight become overly compromised. Then again it wouldn't do to draw a horde of darkspawn to their location, which would be an even greater mistake. Avernus certainly had questions to answer later.

"Wait here Ruck will show you more shinies!" His twisted form galloped away, vanishing into the ruins. It was a few minutes before he returned. In his grasp was a heavy looking chest, it was blackened with age. "Here look, my shinies! Ruck finds them everywhere, people always lose them, dead or lost it doesn't matter, Ruck finds them all the same!"

Artoria couldn't contain her surprise, the corrupted dwarf had revealed a veritable treasure of gold, arms and armour. He caressed some of the pieces staring mesmerised at the glinting reflections. She sighed, having him follow them around would be a problem...he wasn't exactly _well_, but then again if he could sense the darkspawn, he would be invaluable on the next leg of their journey.

It was an hour later that Shirou and Oghren returned looking tired but triumphant. In Oghren's hand a bunch of slightly spoiled papers was visible, it seemed that they had succeeded in discovering their next clue.

"Artoria…what is this? Who is this?" Shirou was understandably confused, they had never expected there to be anyone living down here other than darkspawn and Branka's house, was this a dwarf from her house?

"Shirou…meet Ruck he's a dwarf that lives here…" Artoria wasn't completely sure how to introduce Ruck. Here meet the half crazed dwarf that wants to follow me and 'listen' to my song. Yes that would go down well.

"He's sodding blighted is what he is…they either die or go blight mad within a few months. They usually try to kill or eat people." Oghren looked decidedly unimpressed, his sharp eyes not leaving the twisted looking 'Ruck' even for a moment.

"Artoria...we should be careful, anything to do with the blight so far hasn't been good news." Shirou didn't look so sure of what to think concerning Ruck. To his eyes he saw a pitiful creature worthy of sympathy, but Oghren seemingly knew better from experience.

"Oghren, Ruck has been down here for years and is still 'sane'…isn't that unusual?" Artoria questioned. Oghren raised his eyebrows, he let out a small grunt before he stared Ruck right in the eye. After a moment of observation he stood back, Ruck took a reflexive breath. "Heh that is strange, they usually die real quick, never heard of one living for years…"

"Ruck has offered to guide us to wherever we are going next, he can sense the darkspawn allowing us to sneak past them relatively freely…" Artoria left off, Ruck continued after a moment, his gravelly voice full of ardent assurance. "Yes, Ruck can find safe ways past them!"

Shirou lightened up at the thought, knowing what was coming would be invaluable, the only downside was being forced to trust this Ruck. The dwarf did seem genuine in his desire to help, the question was why, and it certainly was odd for him to appear from nowhere wishing to help complete strangers.

"Thank you for the help, but I can't help but ask why you want to help us. It seems strange to offer help out of the blue…" The response was almost instant, the corrupted dwarf's eyes lit up almost unnaturally with joy.

"Ruck will serve the new golden master! She makes such a pretty song, Ruck is happy to serve!" The statement was met with two very flat looks of disbelief. Oghren just barked a laugh and trudged over to pack up their supplies. "Still sodding blight mad…"

Artoria looked slightly uncomfortable but motioned Shirou to the side. A short distance away from the two dwarves in an abandoned ruin she felt much more comfortable. Revealing some of her innermost secrets to people she had more or less just met wasn't something she was going to entertain anytime soon.

"What's the matter Artoria, is there some reason for the secrecy?" Shirou looked puzzled.

"Shirou, I discovered something dangerous while you were away, it pertains to myself and the darkspawn. I wouldn't have discovered it without Ruck's help. I didn't want to say in front of Oghren…I don't know him well enough yet to let him know the secrets about my body." Artoria's green eyes glanced down slightly embarrassed. Shirou took her hands, squeezing them reassuringly with a smile.

"You remember when we completed the prana transfer ritual at the Einzbern estate? Do you remember what Rin mentioned, that I didn't have a normal magic circuit?" She blushed thinking back to that time, she forced the upsurge in emotions down. She glanced up, Shirou was also slightly red but with a thoughtful expression on.

"Umm…I think so, she said you had a magical core…I don't actually know what the difference is in all honesty. I just knew that I wasn't giving you enough power. There wasn't really time for long winded explanations at the time." Shirou rubbed the back of his head his gaze seeing out the ceiling. Artoria smiled slightly at his display.

"A magical core isn't quite the same as a magic circuit. Imagine it this way, where as a magic circuit is a cottage fire with some kindling, a magical core is a foundry. The only beings that have magical cores are dragons. They produce mana just by breathing…and so do I." Shirou's eyebrows had risen into his hairline. Artoria knew it was hard to believe that she had the literal power source of a dragon drumming within her. "I was born with the magical power and heart of a red dragon."

"Huh…suppose it makes sense considering you're the Pendragon…" Shirou gave a half-hearted laugh as scratched the back of his neck. Artoria groaned in exasperation as she palmed her forehead, Shirou would always try to lighten a situation.

"The reason I'm bringing it up is because darkspawn for some undefinable reason can 'hear' my production of prana. They can sense my magical core in the form of a song only they can hear. Ruck was the first one to find me, drawn out by that song." Artoria frowned, Shirou looked equally concerned, all humour having faded from his features. His golden eyes sharpened in concern.

"I don't know if this is connected but you remember what Avernus said, that the old gods are dragons? This could mean that the old gods may in fact be this world's form of phantasmal dragons. Why they are sealed in the earth is a mystery just as much as the darkspawn themselves are. It could be that the reason the darkspawn live in the deep roads to begin with, just so they can get closer to this 'song' that only they can hear." Shirou looked seriously worried now.

"So does this mean that darkspawn can sense you directly and will seek you out?" Artoria shook her head, it wasn't that simple.

"No, I did a small test with Ruck, I slowed my production of prana as far as I could without serious danger to myself. By that point he could barely 'hear' me. It seems I can suppress my presence to some degree at least, travelling further into the deep roads doesn't seem to be an issue." Shirou sighed his eyes closed in contemplation. Artoria could well understand his hesitance, he was concerned for her wellbeing and the logic in continuing on considering the circumstances.

"Oghren is searching for his wife, Branka. We can't just leave him in the deep roads and head back….but I'm not sure this is such a good idea anymore, are you certain the danger is limited?" Shirou's golden eyes were fixed on her own. She sighed, she was playing down the risk she admitted that to herself. Truthfully the idea of this connection between herself and the darkspawn unnerved her, they were monsters in every sense of the word.

"I am sure…with Ruck's help we will actually be safer than before considering he can help us avoid the darkspawn." Artoria was no stranger to danger surrounding her person. This certainly wasn't enough to make her back down and betray a new friend. "Where are we going next, did the clue you found suggest a direction?"

Shirou didn't look completely convinced but he let the subject drop. "…Yes, you remember Oghren talking about Bownammar, the ancient fortress? It seems like Caridin hid the anvil deep within. It seems to be a dead certainty as to where Branka is. Oghren also seemed to have a general idea of how to get there, I imagine Ruck will too."

Artoria acknowledged the new information, the next step was certain then. She led Shirou by the hand back to the other two members of their group. Oghren was taking another swig from his silver flask while averting his nose from the exceedingly stinky Ruck. Said dwarf was packing up as many of his 'shinies' as he could carry.

"Finished your kissing break? Ready to move on to Bownammar?" Artoria glared at the uncouth dwarf. She noticed that Ruck had jerked at the mention of the old fortress, a spike of fear seemed to pass through the corrupted dwarf's eyes.

"Yes Oghren…" Her eyes flashing in warning, she turned to Ruck "Is there something the matter?"

"Ah lots of dark ones there! Ruck always avoided that place, dark ones strongest there. Lots of dead dwarves there…" He seemed to be terrified at the thought of going anywhere near it.

"Heh at least he still has some sense, any other time I would agree. But Branka is there and I'm going to find her, help or no." Oghren slung projected sword Durandal over his shoulder on a strap, the blade clanking against his heavy pack.

Shirou glanced at her, she knew he was asking for the final permission to continue. She closed her eyes, her pride would not allow her to back down from this no matter the danger. They had started this, it would be finished. She flashed her eyes at Shirou and nodded.

"It looks like we're going to Bownammar then."

* * *

It had been two days since they left Ortan thiag behind, the winding side passages eventually taking them onto a main highway to Bownammar. Due to the number of dwarves killed in attempting to take back the fortress it had garnered another name, the dead trenches an ominous cursed name. Oghren was certain they were on the right track from Branka's notes, he had also spotted some of the marks she had left behind on the passage walls.

For Artoria it had been a trying time, the pressure on her mind had only increased with every step towards their destination. Suppressing her production of prana took great concentration, a similar feat for a human would be slowing their heart beat, all the while travelling for miles every day. She could feel her concentration wearing away with every passing footstep.

Artoria nearly missed a step, her armoured foot having been carelessly thrown at the ground in the vague attempt of a step. Her blond her hung over her eyes shrouding them in shadow, she listlessly stared at the ground in front of her.

The feeling of _things _at the edge of her perception had gotten stronger, they were no longer simple presences they were actual voices echoing within her mind. So many voices, she paused while walking, her hand grasping her forehead. She had a splitting headache, the many jumbled voices and sounds muddied her thoughts. Trying to maintain concentration through it was taxing her to the limit.

The voices if she could call them that had wide differences in structure. Some were mental growls and grunts, others were more ordered quieter thoughts and notions. But most of all it was the emotions, it was so hard to control herself just now, she had already snapped numerous times at Shirou in the past day. The closer they came to their destination the more she could feel. The miasmic black deluge of primal emotions she could sense pouring into her were like nothing she had ever experienced.

The closer they got to Bownammar the stronger it got and the harder it became to control her own emotions, to stay above the tide. She hadn't said a word to Shirou she was stronger than this, she would control whatever this was. Was she sensing the darkspawn? Had her wound tainted her? If so it should be no different than what a grey warden must endure.

She mentally grimaced at the particularly strong urge to cut her two friends to ribbons as they strode forward before her. Her eyes scrunched up as she gritted her teeth. She _would_ overcome this!

Artoria staggered feeling momentarily dizzy, her armoured hands sought out her face as she feebly attempted to comfort herself.

"Artoria?" Strong arms encircled her, helping her to a nearby rock for a seat. She allowed herself a moment of indulgence in her lover's arms. She pushed her face into his chest, trying to seek out the scent she was most familiar with under all the grime that covered him. She ended the moment seconds later, pushing him away slowly.

"I'm fine…" Her voice sounded hollow even to her own ears.

She couldn't rely on him like some weak child running to comfort whenever she got a small injury. She loved him she had to protect him, something like this wouldn't stop her. Avalon would protect her. How was this even happening, her sheath should have stopped whatever this was before it affected her.

She could tell Shirou was frowning at her, hurt by her dismissal but she could barely focus enough to feel guilt. She was completely focused on blocking out this encroachment on her mind.

Shirou held out his hand and pulled her up, she stood carefully for a moment before continuing on. Shirou took a position behind her, she could feel his eyes on her. She plodded on, barely paying any attention to where her feet went.

* * *

Shirou frowned as she watched Artoria sway from side to side. Making small missteps as she went. This was bad, something had to have happened to her with that wound, Oghren had already shared his thoughts with him. That she had possibly been tainted, however he hadn't shown any of the normal symptoms. Only what seemed to be severe distraction, anger and disorientation. He knew that Artoria would never normally snap at him, so something was certainly up but he could see no discernible cause. Between when she was wounded and now nothing had happened to upset her.

Avalon should be protecting her from any form of damage, so to his knowledge she couldn't be hurt for any length of time, much like when he himself had possessed the sheath. Whatever the cause was it didn't seem to be anything they could solve immediately, he possessed no magic that could allow him to figure out what was happening either. Avalon was already the very best protection they could manage in the current situation.

If Artoria continued to refuse him on what was going on then he may have to take direct action. In a way her refusal reminded him of her attitude when she was first summoned, prideful and unaccepting of help. She was an ex-king after all. In her current state he very much doubted she would be capable of focusing in a fight for any length of time. He could only hope that they managed to avoid any more darkspawn.

He watched as Ruck scouted ahead for the best path. He really was invaluable now when faced with sneaking by some of the highest concentrations of darkspawn in the deep roads. He was glad for the help even if the reasons for the dwarf to accompany them still mystified him. He seemed to 'love' listening to Artoria, and not her voice. From Artoria's explanation her entire being sang to him, the innate dragon like nature of her calling to him.

It was a fact that he would most certainly be interrogating Avernus over later and why he hadn't mentioned his ability to sense her. After all he was a grey warden he should have been able to sense something off about her.

In any event his path was clear, look after her and watch her back. This time he would make sure nothing would harm her and hopefully she would recover her senses soon. Somehow he wasn't so hopeful.

Up ahead the highway began to open out into a larger cavern, the original road having been collapsed or destroyed. Across the cavern they would see the road reappear and continue into the distance. Another detour it seemed.

* * *

The first impressions of Bownammar were awe and horror. They had emerged onto a precarious path that bordered a sheer drop into darkness, the path was craggy and uneven, well worn by darkspawn and dwarves alike. The cliff sides of the chasm were jagged, their surfaces blackened and poisoned, if someone fell from the path Shirou was certain their body would be shredded before it hit the ground. The long dangerous path led to an enormous suspension bridge of rather epic engineering for its age. Small gouges and damage were apparent, several planks looked like they had been throw across it in a quick patch job to grant access.

Across from the bridge were the largest stone doors Shirou had ever seen, alongside them were fortifications to match those of Orzammar's own entrance to the deep roads. Massive bulwarks buttressed the gates creating the formidable image of an impregnable fortress. Caridin really was a genius to create such a place with medieval technology. Shirou had to remind himself that it was no longer owned by the dwarfs; that it had fallen to the darkspawn at some point during this age.

"Here…Down below the dark ones mothers breed, others like me are slaves to them here. They make armour and weapons for them…" Ruck's form twisted as he spoke, his voice full of anguish and horror. He had gotten more and more jumpy the closer they had got to this place. Oghren grunted as he spat over the edge, his gaze like shards of ice stabbing the blackness.

Shirou sighed at the display before turning his attention back to the woman that had occupied his every waking moment for the past few days. His concern had only grown, they should have turned back…something was dreadfully wrong with her.

Artoria had regained her balance and was walking normally but she had gotten very quiet, head hung low, her blond fringe shadowing her eyes as she trudged onward. She didn't even look up at their first view of Bownammar. She hadn't even snapped at Shirou recently. He couldn't tell if this was good or bad.

The miraculous lack of darkspawn across the bridge and in the general area told them that Branka was likely in possession of the fortress. Ruck led the way across, galloping along with his half twisted gait, every few moments he would turn back like a dog waiting on its master.

"Heh, Caridin didn't do anything small did he? I can't believe how the legion of the dead lost this place…Branka you better be ready because old Oghren's commin home!" He looked eager to finally find his estranged wife. Shirou hoped he would find what he was hoping for, after all this they deserved some success.

Shirou refocused on Artoria as they followed after their two dwarven companions. Her complexion was pale as she plodded onwards. Shirou followed, making sure she didn't make a misstep; once they reached Branka they could finally get some real rest and they would have a very serious discussion about her health.

They were halfway across the bridge when she paused, her head bobbed even lower than before. Shirou reached out gently for her shoulder, but before he could black miasmic smoke and energy began to rise from her form. From the seams of her dress and the facets of her armour blackened purplish prana seemed to bleed forth like sweat. Like a breached dam the energy came thick and fast. She had not moved an inch since it began, her shoulders started jerking slowly. Her armoured gauntlets jerked into fists at her sides, she tottered side to side before regaining balance.

"Artoria?"

He pushed forward through the dark wind that billowed from her form. He spun her about to face him. What greeted him nearly reduced him to tears.

Artoria was gasping equal parts sobbing and giggling. Tear tracks lead away from shadowed eyes as she stared vacantly down into Shirou's chest. Her maddened chuckles rising higher and higher into the stark silence. The quiet sobs wrenched at Shirou's heart more than anything he had ever felt. He seized her in an embrace, willing her to feel his feelings for her even through her heavy armour. The half sobbing giggles stopped, a small sigh rising up from her tormented form.

A small wispy voice so unlike his proud and indomitable Artoria drifted up to his ears.

"Shirou…run…"

**Author note: **

Hey all I'm really sorry for being so late but lots of stuff have acted to trip me up on my schedule. Anyway this chapter is mostly build up for the next one which will be completely devoted to Shirou and Artoria. You can imagine what's going to happen :3

Personally I wasn't so hot on the ending, it felt a little off to me. Like my writing suffered towards the end of the chapter. Please tell me if it did.

Anyway I'm wondering if anyone fancies beta-reading for me in the future? I have a lot of trouble seeing my own errors so having a bit of help with it would be awesome.

As for Artoria deterioration it occurred faster than it should because she was suppressing her own power. That partly sped the onset of the effect. Can anyone guess what exactly Artoria has been "becoming"? Its pretty central to dragon age, I will be embarrassed if I don't get at least one person recognizing whats happening :p

Edit: Will be cleaning it up over the next few days. If you notice any errors please point them out :D

Anyway hope you all enjoyed it.


	11. The Blackened Dawn

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Chapter Eleven: The Blackened Dawn**

**Author Prenote: **Hey all sorry for the wait, been losing my muse a bit. I tend to have a flighty interest so it will likely take some time between updates. Regardless this chapter has a lot of important set up so it took quite a long time to write. I wanted to make sure everything that needed to be said was said :p.

Anyway I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

_Artoria was gasping equal parts sobbing and giggling. Tear tracks lead away from shadowed eyes as she stared vacantly down into Shirou's chest. Her maddened chuckles rising higher and higher into the stark silence. The quiet sobs wrenched at Shirou's heart more than anything he had ever felt. He seized her in an embrace, willing her to feel his feelings for her even through her heavy armour. The half sobbing giggles stopped, a small sigh rising up from her tormented form._

_A small wispy voice so unlike his proud and indomitable Artoria drifted up to his ears. _

_"__Shirou…run…"_

* * *

The embrace lasted for but a moment before Shirou found himself blasted back by a concussive wind blast; he was thrown head over heels backward. He only just managed to reinforce his body before he sustained serious injury by colliding with the ground. The backward movement finally halted after several bounces, he found himself lying on his back staring up into the black chasm that continued above just as it did below.

For a moment he couldn't move, the reality of what had just happened crashed down on him like a ton of bricks. It was unthinkable…had he been so blind as to miss the signs? Artoria…he could barely order his thoughts never mind move. Moments passed as his body came back to life, slowly he climbed back to his feet. His posture was slumped in fatigue and guilt. His gaze found his beloved as she screamed of pain and anger. The air pressure on the bridge was becoming suffocating, one moment it was blasting away from her tortured form, the next it was pulling at the masonry and anything unfortunate enough to be caught in the maelstrom.

The bridge quaked and shuddered under the onslaught of forces, its damaged and aged form ill-equipped to deal with the punishment. Behind Artoria he could see both Ruck and Oghren taking cover on the other side holding on for dear life.

Blackish purple prana was radiating out of every pore in her body, unlike before where it languidly slithered out of her, it now blazed like an unholy fire, sharp and vicious. Her expression was scrunched into a rictus of pain and suffering, yet she remained standing, beneath her armoured feet the stone surfacing of the bridge cracked and splintered under the pressure.

The Invisible Air that always hid Excalibur from sight has been released showing off the state of the blade. He couldn't believe his eyes…the sword, it was being tarnished. Black veins of prana were creeping down the length of the holy blade like the searching fingers of some demonic force.

How was this even possible? Avalon should have stopped this from happening, its ability to repair injuries was unmatched in this world. This taint…it couldn't be any normal disease, ailment or curse, even the tainted grail hadn't been able to hold for long against the power of Avalon.

His eyes narrowed in rage, this taint…it was treading on her pride, her sanctity. He swore he would never allow himself or anything to tread on her pride. That included Artoria herself. She would never forgive him if he allowed this to continue! His hands clenched and sparked with unleashed prana, he barely needed to focus on the blade he was creating. First the blue handgrip then the golden hilt leading into the masterwork blade, out of all the blades he had seen this one was the one he treasured most. Not because of its power or appearance, but because of the presence that shrouded him every time he wielded it.

Caliburn, Golden Sword of the Victorious materialised in his right hand, the moment it did he could feel Artoria's presence ready to carry him forward to that promised victory. He dove into that feeling further than he ever had, right now more than ever he needed her support.

Before when he wielded weapons it had always been a nebulous feeling of being dragged along by the past skills embedded within. With Caliburn it had always been different, perhaps it was his connection to the real Artoria, whatever the reason was he could almost fool himself it to thinking that her armoured hands were tightly laid over his own.

Across his brow sweat began to bead. He would have to strike quickly before whatever was going on finished…but could he do that? What Artoria said about her magical core came back to haunt him now, in essence she had the magic of a dragon. It formed an unwanted connection with the Archdemons they had read about, ancient dragons revered as gods corrupted by the taint. They would go on to lead blights and kill _millions. _If Artoria really was becoming an Archdemon or something like it, could he gamble on that? Would he fight and hope she would come to her senses or would he strike and put an end to a potential catastrophe before it could begin?

What was he thinking!? It wasn't a choice! He wanted to save everyone not just the greatest number of people. That meant saving Artoria no matter what! Resolved he tightened his hold on Caliburn and settled into the stance that the guiding presence coaxed him into. There was only one outcome now, he would find a way.

Artoria was slumping forward her screams had died and her whimpers quietened. The maelstrom of prana and wind that had surrounded her had reduced to a slight breeze. Her face was shadowed by her lank fringe, what he could see beneath was an expressionless mask.

A step forward was all it took to set her off. Her scream…no roar was like that of a dragon, high and soaring yet black as night. The depth of power it spoke of was bottomless, much like the chasm that surrounded them. The silence that should have rung out afterwards was filled with the echoing howls of darkspawn deep below in the darkness, awakened to their new dark master. Her emotionless mask broke into a visage of latent rage surging beneath the surface like some unnatural current.

Shirou waited no longer, reinforcing his body he dashed forward with speed and force unmatched by most in this world. Caliburn arced in an overhead swing, its glistening blade a sight to see, it pierced the blackness inhabiting the bridge. His momentum was stopped almost instantly, the sullied Excalibur blocking his swing with no difficulty, its wielder hadn't even taken a step back. Shirou continued his attack, following his inner Artoria's guidance, counterstroke followed by more footwork. In this battle he would need to keep moving, if he allowed Artoria to gain traction her ability with prana burst would crush his defences.

The tainted Excalibur swung through the air effortlessly, it cut close to Shirou's chest and legs as he narrowly parried and dodged. Her stance was…off for lack of a better word, normally she was extremely precise, from what Shirou could see she was over extending and making a mess of her footwork. Regardless with strength and speed like that you didn't necessarily need technique, it's why Artoria was so fearsome, a master swordswoman combined with phenomenal speed and strength.

He only just managed to keep ahead of her blade as it swung around her frame like it weighed no more than a toothpick, it reminded him unnervingly of berserker. He knew that only with true killing intent could he hope to survive this battle, if he held back she would surely kill him. Caliburn met the tainted weapon again and again, Shirou sank further into Artoria's latent presence within the blade, allowing it to carry him along. Techniques and moves he had only seen Artoria utilise were coming forth strangely easily, normally it put a great deal of stress on his body, now they felt almost second nature. Artoria's skills called for techniques like prana burst which he had to substitute with his own reinforcement and if he was quite honest simply did not match up in results.

With every blow on the tainted Excalibur he could feel something, the blade wasn't entirely tainted, this he knew was a sign from Artoria. It told him she was suppressed within this berserker. The question was how to save her. Avalon was within her body and that meant he had no viable way of giving her wounds for any real length of time. This battle had only one ending, with himself exhausted and Artoria lost if he didn't come up with something fast.

Excalibur swung dangerously near his neck forcing him to dance across the edge of the bridge. He flipped over the next attack aimed at his feet, landing with barely any balance, he regained his stance and swung at her armoured back. With almost preternatural awareness she swiped Excalibur across her back without even looking, bashing away his attack with impunity. The only thing keeping him in this fight was his familiarity with her fighting style thanks to their training together.

Slitted yellow eyes flashed from beneath her fringe, Shirou would have flinched in horror if it hadn't been for the ingrained discipline of Artoria's presence within the blade he held. It was at that moment that it seemed Artoria or whatever she currently was had decided to stop playing.

With an immense overhead stroke a splash of surging black prana was released nearly on top of him. He only had a moment to move. Even with Caliburn's guiding force and his own reinforcement he didn't managed to move completely aside. The black arc of prana, a small anti-unit version of Excalibur's main attack cut along his forearm. It sliced though the leather armour and the mystic-code he was wearing with impunity. The attack expanded a second later carving through the balustrade of the bridge and further to the distant side of the chasm. With an explosion of rock and prana the blighted cliff side gained a new jagged fissure meters across.

They clashed again, Caliburn reverberated from each blow in his hands. They were moving so fast now that he needed to reinforce his eyes just to keep track. He was feeling that guiding presence more now than ever, it was like a version of Artoria really did reside in the blade and was now rebelling against her own altered self. He ducked low hoping to cut inside her guard, he caught the piercing yellow eyes once again narrowed in hate. Only diving to the ground saved him, he felt the spectre of death cut through his hair sharper than any razor. Colliding with the ground he rolled forward into a ready stance, hands scuffed and bleeding he tightened his grip on Caliburn.

Shirou backpedalled quickly, he needed time to think, mindless combat wouldn't help him here it would only serve to motivate her to use even more potent attacks. His only experience with corrupting influence was with the tainted grail, its influence had been easily countered with the released form of Avalon. Was that option open to him? All the times he had projected and used Avalon Artoria had been helping him. His eyes narrowed on her form…perhaps this situation wasn't so different, Artoria was still in there he could feel it. He had a feeling that if she truly had been trying that attack would have bisected him effortlessly regardless of his own speed or luck.

Artoria was once again drooping forward, black prana again radiating out of every pore. She was building up power and like an endless deluge it kept coming. The shadowy prana gathered within Excalibur forming a huge writhing column of angry energy. He could imagine what all that power was for, he couldn't allow her to continue, there was no telling what would happen if she used Excalibur here.

A nascent plan formed in his mind. Madness in the extreme but he knew in his gut it would be his only chance to save her, he focused on the memory of their dual release of Avalon. It all hinged on trust, their belief in each other. Releasing Avalon was all about unshakable belief, a certainty of hope and victory.

He planted Caliburn's tip down into the shattered rock, he leaned on it in fatigue. He closed his eyes, Artoria would be saved, no matter what it was a certainty. Shirou's golden eyes opened with a flash.

"Trace on"

Rubble exploded from his position as he pushed his reinforcement to new heights. He would commit everything to these next few moments, anything less was to court failure. He crossed the meters separating them in a flash, Caliburn glowed white hot it his hands as he charged all the prana he could muster through it. He couldn't match Excalibur with his Caliburn it was a copy of an already inferior weapon, it could do only one thing for him. Its form splintered almost to the point of destruction, more, it needed more.

**"****Aarrrrghhhhh!"** The wordless cry that roared from Artoria pierced the buzzling air as she brought down the corrupted Excalibur like the wrath of an angry god. He focused on the descending blade, he would need to time this perfectly, a moment off and it would all be over. His eyes widened, now!

**"****Caliburn!"**

He swung upwards directly into the path of Excalibur's hilt, the blade in his hands exploded as he pushed it beyond the point of no return, shards of projected steel pierced his hands and chest. A fraction of a second before Excalibur released its own attack his struck true, it forced the legendary blade from its path. Instead it lanced across the bridge out into the dark chasm of nothing, a veritable wall of black deadly energy exploded next to him.

There was no time to appreciate his quick thinking as the next part of his plan was already in motion. He lunged forward, one hand seizing her from behind while the other braced against her heart, keeping her in a strong grip. He surged forward and firmly planted his lips on her own. He sought with all of his might for the tell-tale warmth of feeling that Avalon produced, he found it in an instant, less a warm feeling and more a burning inferno.

Internally he prayed.

**_"_****_Avalon"_**

The world exploded in gold light.

* * *

Oghren could barely believe his eyes, he knew they were tough but this? The speed they had been moving at was impossible, even to his trained eyes their movements had become a veritable blur. He had barely managed to keep his eyes on Shirou; at first he had been able to follow his movements with some difficulty but then it seemed he had pushed onto an entirely new level of speed to match Artoria. Flashes of blue and blackened red battled across the bridge, the display was maddening to look at, almost like a demented fireworks display.

The bridge beneath them had begun to quake under the stress of their combat, bucking on the suspension lines slabs of stonework jostled free fell from the structure like stone petals.

Near as he could tell Artoria had been tainted by the blight. This however was not what normally happened, usually a victim would fall ill and face death or a prolonged existence as a blighted shadow of their former self. Other urges such as cannibalism often followed, it was the main reason that blight victims were put down, it was as much a mercy as it was a necessity. This? This was not normal. The roar she thundered at the beginning of the battle had reverberated through his skull like it could somehow rend his soul in two. He had been forced to drag a catatonic Ruck from the bridge, the blighter had lost all sense the second Artoria had roared.

If Oghren was completely honest this was totally outside of his realm of experience. He focused on the battle once again, just as before he tried and failed to follow the high speed movements. It was at that moment that he was smashed off his feet by a concussive blast wave, his heavy armour clanked as his back met solid stone. He staggered back to the balustrade and pulled himself to his feet, His dark eyes widened in shock at the sight. It was raining sodding rocks, a whole side of the cliff face had been blasted with a new several meter wide fissure leading up high into the dark.

"Sodding crazy!"

He ducked down under the solid stone wall, he started pulling on his thick red beard the next second. Was he sodding blight mad? They had just blasted a rock face into rubble, a meter thick wall was nothing! He grabbed Ruck by the ankles and dragged him further away towards the entrance to Bownammar, the doors were sealed up tight. He took his heavy axe and stared slamming the head on the heavy doors. He just prayed that Branka and the house were actually here.

He turned back to the fight when he heard the high speed clash of steel cease. He could see Shirou on the other side of the bridge leaning on his weapon wearily. Artoria still stood in the middle of the bridge, rubble showered down around her not touching her terrible form. Around her he could already see that black energy that had first risen out of her gather around her like a burning snake. The beautifully terrible weapon at her side pulled it all in, a tower of black energy grew in size until it dwarfed her small form.

The only thing Oghren could feel in that instant was the immediate fear of death, it wasn't the possibility, it was the certainty of death that cut through him. He was no stranger to death he had faced it many times, but never had it been so overwhelming, there had always been a way to beat it back by axe or strategy. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he was completely frozen stiff, he couldn't move even if he wanted to.

His eyes sought out Shirou, the weapon in his hand was burning white hot, light the purest he had ever seen poured from the weapon. What occurred next happened so fast he barely managed to catch it, Shirou closed the distance to Artoria in what felt like an instant to him. Artoria was even faster, the tower of energy swung down in a flash. He didn't catch what happened in the clash, all he could see was the blinding flash of energy that exploded before his eyes.

Rubbing the spots from his eyes he was nearly knocked from his feet against by an even larger concussion wave. He seized the heavy stone wall like his life depended on it, his ears popped with the pressure change, he was certain that he would be bleeding from his ears after this. The shockwave passed quickly, he opened his eyes to the strangest scene he had ever seen.

Shirou was kissing her, right in the middle of all of that devastation, it was the most passionate kiss he had ever seen anyone deliver. For a moment he thought he saw Artoria stiffen before his vision was once again blitzed by another explosion of light, this time it was pure golden. The deep roads that had always been shrouded in shadow even in their heyday were momentarily illuminated by a light stronger and more pure than the sun itself. From the lowest depths to the highest peak for one moment, all was illuminated.

The next second the light show ended and Oghren was left in awe and horror. Awe because he had never felt or seen anything like it, that light had reached deep into him, made him feel like nothing was impossible, that tomorrow would come. Horror because where Shirou and Artoria had been standing there was nothing but shadowed footprints.

* * *

Shirou opened his eyes, bright sunlight the likes of which he had never experienced in his life greeted him. Beneath his feet rolled impossibly green grass as far as the eye could see, small hills with rocky outcrops dotted the landscape. The horizon was a formless blur of green meeting joyous blue. Above were fluffy white clouds peacefully floating through the sky with nary a care in the world. Every so often across the distant fields a solitary sword jutted up from the grass, greeting the sky with their upstretched pommels, waiting for a time of need.

More startled than he could express, he hadn't expected this...was this real? It certainly felt like it, he could feel the pleasant breeze, the warmth, all of it was so comforting, peaceful. A slight hand slid into his own as Artoria glided alongside him, her beautiful green eyes staring up into his own. Tears built in his eyes as he saw her thankfully normal form, gone were the ferocious draconic eyes, even with just a single touch he could feel that her inner peace had returned. Her pristine blue dress was luminescent in the sunlight, golden seams glistened in the light giving her an almost phantasmal appearance to his eyes.

His legs failed him as he crumpled to the ground, one hand met the lush grass for balance as he tried to regain control. Two small hands threaded their way through his hair, slowly hypnotically calming him with their touch. His body reminded him of his wounds, his chest was bleeding as well as his arms. The projected shards of metal had disappeared with Caliburn's final attack, but the damage remained.

"You're wounded…" Artoria sat on her knees, her hands left his hair and trailed down to his wounds. Her eyes were focused intently on them, she clasped her hands together before a small golden light wisped to life between her cupped palms. Opening her palms she breathed out pushing the light towards him. In a moment he saw his injuries literally stitch themselves together with threads of golden light. A moment later he was seized in a full body hug, her arms and legs were coiled round his neck and waist. Her face pressed into his neck with a feverous intent, the telling wetness of tears trickled onto his skin.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have…I should have told you!" Her voice was choked with tears, "I nearly killed you because of my stupid pride…I could never forgive myself if you died for me!"

Shirou tightened his hold on her, he closed his eyes as he breathed in her scent. He wound never let her go, not now, not ever.

"I love you, that's all there is to it."

He felt a watery smile press into his neck as her muffled reply drifted up to his ears. He smiled softly as he stared up at the bright sky, relief bubbled up to a crescendo as he fell backwards tiredly with sigh. Artoria cuddled into his chest, completely focused on his warmth to the exclusion of all else. They rested like that for a few minutes before their surroundings caught up with them.

"Artoria…where are we?"

She regained some of her composure as she sat up on Shirou's waist. Her eyes took in their surroundings and the distant formless horizon. Her eyes widened and her lips slowly parted, it seemed she had been on autopilot for the past ten minutes, emotion had ripped down even her steely discipline.

"I…But…This is impossible!" her gaze refocused on him and she continued, "This is…at least I think it is…Avalon, the realm of the fairies."

Shirou looked at her quizzically, this didn't seem at all like what happened the last time they used Avalon, sure there had been the feeling of warmth and protection but this?

"But, when we used Avalon last time this didn't happen, we weren't whisked away to a distant place or dimension."

"That's why it's impossible...or at least it should be." At his questioning look Artoria explained, "Avalon enshrouds the wielder in a bounded field, it grants the 'protection of the fairies' by allowing me to enter the fairies realm. There nothing can harm me, not even Gilgamesh with Ea was able to pierce that protection. In essence Avalon is supposed to bring the fairies realm to me not the other way around. This place…I feel like I have great control over it, I think thats how I healed you."

Shirou didn't quite understand the principle, but then again he was trying to understand the inner workings of an ancient fairy made sacred artefact so excuse him if he didn't understand instantly. He looked up into the beautiful blue sky again, a large white cloud moved languidly across. Its passage revealed something very strange, black elongated structure, it seemed incredibly distant so it was difficult to make out shapes. He got the distinct feeling that such a thing wasn't supposed to be here.

"If this is Avalon…then I don't suppose that's supposed to be here…" He pointed up at the structure, Artoria followed his pointing and beheld the unnatural twisted looking structure. It reminded him of something they had been reading about regarding mages in this world.

"No…That is definitely not supposed to be there." Her eyes narrowed in thought, "…I see, a lot of things are beginning to make sense. You remember the fade, the realm from which mages gain their powers here? It's supposed to be the realm where all humans and elves dream. Within that realm people have described in books the 'black city', a distant structure always on the horizon no matter the location in the fade. The realm of the fairies and the fade it seems are the same aspect from both worlds, Earth and Thedas."

"What you might not know is that the fairy realm is part of the internal mechanism of the world, fairies are essentially the worker bees of Gaia. Both Gaia and Alaya's basic functions are seated in that realm, the same should be true of the fade in this world. Obviously we already know that in this world Gaia is either unresponsive or dead, that would certainly show first in the fairy realm or rather the fade. The demons we have faced could well be how the fairies have developed without the directing force of the world."

Shirou nodded along trying to pretend he understood all of that, his studies might have improved his magecraft but his knowledge on such esoteric concepts was still elementary at best. All he knew was that the dirty black smudge in the sky looked seriously out of place in this idealised land. Artoria stood up regretfully, the light blush on her face suggested that she had secretly been rather enjoying the not so innocent position she had taken with him, she offered her hand. Shirou accepted and pulled himself to his feet, he wanted to look at once of those distant swords first, they looked strangely familiar.

"How do you now so much about these things? You never really claimed to be a mage, even if you had special powers."

"Ah…you see, if you spend enough time around annoying mischievous magi you learn a thing or two." A small nostalgic smile crossed her lips at the memory of that love sick fool Merlin. She wondered if he had foreseen all of this long before it had happened.

They arrived at the nearest sword, it was golden with a plain sturdy design, this was a sword Shirou had never projected or used as such, but it was one both he and Artoria were intimately familiar with. Merodach, the original sword that led to concept of swords like Caliburn and Gram. He had never thought to see this weapon again after it shattered his second attempt at projecting Caliburn. It was as plain as he remembered it, the slight blue iconography was a tantalising suggestion of its future incarnations.

"This makes no sense, how can this be here if this is the fade? We are the only ones to have seen this weapon. Nobody in this world could…well, just dream it up." His brow knitted in confusion, not only was it here in the fade but it was within their manifestation of Avalon. How did a sword they had once seen factor into the ever distant utopia?

"…Perhaps it is you Shirou. You were the one to release Avalon, I could only guide you from deep within my mind. These are all weapons you have seen at some point in time. Remember when you projected Archer's weapons? I know you have never practised with those weapons in particular, so how did you project them?" Artoria made a good point, how did he project Byakuya and Kanshou?

"I…I don't know, before I could even think they were in my hands." His hands gripped into fists tiredly and released, "Does that mean something remembered it all for me? With Caliburn its image and composition are burned into my mind, I know it better than any other weapon."

"It's possible, your element might be something to do with bladed weapons. It would explain your inability at other kinds of magic. It might also explain the presence of these weapons in this world." She still looked puzzled, then again this was getting further into the realms of specialist knowledge, hopefully Illya might have some ideas that could explain this anomaly.

"Soo…how do we get back? I know how we got here but returning might not be so simple. I wouldn't mind staying here for a bit, but I think Oghren and Ruck are probably going mad." Shirou split into a lopsided grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at the situation.

Artoria smiled softly at his antics, his concerns were valid but she believed there was a method by which they could return. Within her she could still feel Avalon burning fiercely with power, if they performed the exact same events that brought them here then it should be possible to reverse the process. Instead of releasing Avalon she would have to reseal it. It was something she had never been forced to do, the world had always done that for her. Avalon's true powers had never been what she would call long lived, providing an absolute defence for a limited time. Here in this world she felt no such limitations, however it seemed that Avalon would be far more difficult to control for things like combat.

"I think we can handle that Shirou…kiss me." Her small smile grew as he was startled by her request. He leaned in slowly, taking her into his arms. As their lips softly met Artoria guided him as she did before, his hand rested over her heart as she internally reined in on Avalon. Though neither of them saw the effects the world around them shuddered and shattered, like a dream it was carried away on the wind, fading back to its natural green like haze.

The surrounding fade landscape had been completely supplanted, some lucky dreamers had been treated to some very pleasant dreams. Several less benevolent denizens were left extremely puzzled when their realms had not only been erased but they themselves had been ejected bodily to the perimeter of the newly created land. They were displeased to say the least.

Shirou and Artoria drifted in the greenish void for a moment before they themselves disappeared back to the real world.

* * *

Their return was by no means smooth. They appeared exactly seventy meters above where they had originally left, it was only Artoria's quick thinking that saved Shirou from a rather unpleasant fall. Grabbing him around the waist she manifested her silver and blue armour and slowed their decent using the cliff face. They landed with a thump, cracking some of the flagstones, in front a group of very surprised and fearful dwarves. Oghren leapt back with the gifted Durandel ready in a two handed grip, ready and willing to try his damnedest to cut her in two. Ruck it seemed was quite content to prostrate himself before her. The others were dwarves she was completely unfamiliar with, it was possible that these were the dwarves that they had been looking for.

Every dwarf was well-armed with heavy armour and thick shields, two at the back were armed with what looked like heavy crossbows. The iconography on the armour and shields confirmed her suspicions, House Branka for certain then. She noticed now that Shirou had seemingly fallen unconscious or into sleep during the journey back to the real world. Hmph, he better not fall asleep kissing her again or she may have to punish him as was her right.

"Veata! Stay where you are surfacer!" Several long pikes and axes were levelled at her, she could not help but note that they were all very well made indeed.

"I apologise for the entrance, I mean you no harm." Her eyes found Oghren, he looked suspicious but she could tell his initial fear had been shrugged off like a bad case of gut rot. He lowered his weapon after a moment of consideration.

"Heh…so whatever Red did snapped you out of it?" She may not like Oghren much but she could appreciate his simple talk, it made things much easier.

"…You could say that, I am…much better now." She lowered Shirou to the ground carefully, paying the weapons still levelled at her no mind as she made him more comfortable. Her main concern was taking care of Shirou, nothing else mattered, a few spears wouldn't be able to stop her if things went badly.

"Still sodding nuts, it's alright Tobin she's as normal as she can get now…We better get them inside the fortress before that rash of darkspawn get here."

The lead dwarf 'Tobin' was strangely narrow faced for a dwarf with a long beak like nose. He narrowed his eyes at Oghren before signalling his men, obviously there was unfinished business between Oghren and his house. Hopefully this would play out without added dilemmas and drama as Artoria had had quite her fill of both. Even if she disliked Oghren's uncouth manners and untidy behaviour she could appreciate his trust.

"Oghren…Thank you."

"Heh, anytime."

**Author note: **

Dat Shirou, the only guy to have kissed an Archdemon and survived, what a player. :3

A bit shorter than the last one but I hope it didn't bother anyone.

Hope everyone liked my interpretation of Avalon's release in Dragon age. Because there are no regulating forces to govern Avalon's internal mechanisms for entering the realm of the fairies. Aka Fairies, the ability of Avalon went kindof wild, in a way it's even more powerful than it was before, but it means that if Artoria wants to be able to control it in the future she will most certainly have to train with it. It can literally grant passage into the realm of the fairies or the fade in this instance. If she becomes skilled enough I foresee her being able to pull others into an AoE like attack pulling them all into the fade. As was illustrated She gains a significant boost while in the fade.

For a future note, both are equivalent, which means on earth the realm of the fairies is the fade and vice versa.

As you can see Shirou didn't sustain much damage during this fight, the reason for that is Artoria was literally fighting herself in every moment. Had she been serious Shirou would most likely have died.

Shirou gets a glimpse of his internal world projected into the fade combined with the literal Avalon :p. I've been watching a lot of the new UBW anime, it gave me a few new ideas for Avalon which is always good. It also showed that Avalon was a repairing mystery not a restorative. In the anime it literally stiches Shirou together again, that means my interpretation of what would happen in this case is probably pretty close. But again its fanfiction so a little leeway must be paid.

Just a note, I'm starting a new job on Monday I think so updates might be few and far between until I get a handle on things.

Anyway I hope everyone enjoyed this, read &amp; review if you please.

Note: A guest said something about having read this before; I can only say that everything here is completely newly written with no copying or use of other material other than the ideas present in both universes. Ergo You must be mistaken in having read this before.

**Next time:**

Shirou and Artoria face a moral dilemma as Branka and her intentions become clear. Oghren - "Why is everyone sodding blight mad?"


	12. The Stone Woman

**Disclaimer: I don't own fate or dragon age.**

**Chapter Twelve: The Stone Woman **

**Author Prenote: **Sorry been silent for a while, it's taken a while to write this while getting used to a new job &amp; flat. Anyway I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Waking was not a pleasant feeling, a bone weary exhaustion was making itself known to Shirou as his eyes cracked open. The light was dim he realised as his eyes adjusted, above him a damp cracked ceiling dominated his view.

In the dim light he could see a looming figure slouched on the right hand side of the uncomfortable bed he was lying on. Focusing his eyes he managed to pick out the tired features of his lover, her usually pristine appearance was ragged and soiled, the long days in the deep had taken their toll.

Artoria's eyes were closed and her body slightly buckled with fatigue but he knew that looks could be deceiving, within her body likely existed reserves to go another three days without any rest or sustenance. Such was the superior body of a servant compared to a human.

Slowly he place a hand over her own and squeezed, they were back in the real world and a truly apocalyptic disaster had been averted by the skin of their teeth. Gradually her eyes opened and a small smile creeped its way across her tired features.

There were no words as she took her place next to him on the slab like bed, heedless of the state of each other's hygiene she pressed herself into his side, his arm fell around her as her breathing slowed. Shirou smiled quietly as he held her to his side, he might be weak as a new born right now but he would offer what comfort he could.

"I nearly lost you…" He spoke softly, unhurried with a tone of relief so deep it was fathomless. It wasn't just a pretty statement, they had come so close to the precipice of no return that he couldn't believe that they had won out. At the time he had left no room for doubt or hesitation, his decision was made and acted upon. The fact that he gambled so much upon it was unbelievably hard to comprehend, he knew a_ lot _of people could have died had he been wrong. But truly understanding what that meant was something else entirely.

He felt Artoria nod into his chest, he felt a shudder go through her body. He couldn't imagine what it had like for her, he wasn't even sure if he should ask so soon after what had happened. If he had been the victim of this plague he doubted he would wish to speak of it so soon. She stirred again as if feeling his inner questions.

"It was like being drowned….that _horde_ is not just a group of mindless monsters. They are all connected, I could feel every emotion, every thought…I believed myself strong enough to overcome it. I was a fool, no single will can overcome the voice of millions…"

He could only feebly hug her tightly to himself in response as words failed him. There was little he could say, they suffered through it together, all he could do was try to share in her suffering.

The high of visiting Avalon had left the darkness of the deep roads all the more oppressive, the return to dank reality had drained Shirou of all post victory good cheer. Artoria he could see simply wanted his comfort, a few personal moments to catch her breath. He could give her that much.

Shirou fought to keep his eyes open as Artoria was lulled into sleep by the beat of his heart. He smiled tiredly as his eyes crinkled reluctantly shut…she would be so mad that he fell asleep…

* * *

Oghren spat over the side into the deep chasm that bordered the 'back' of the fortress. Another natural defence utilised by Caridin to protect his sodding anvil. He took a deep swig of his personal brew, if anything it was sure to keep him awake for hours like some lyrium high nug. It wasn't far away from where his friends were resting, that Artoria was something else he had to say. Even after all that she had stayed awake for nearly a whole day watching over Shirou in that dank little room Branka had so magnanimously 'gifted' them. Yeah right…like anyone can gift a sodding dank hole to anyone. He didn't even know where that Ruck had gotten to, it seemed he had picked the furthest part of the fortress to try and hide in from Banka and the rest of the house.

Branka…now that was a sore subject, the house hadn't exactly been happy to see him either Tobin had made that perfectly clear, Oghren hadn't exactly been material for the great Paragon's husband. Even when things had been 'happy' between them he still embarrassed the house by being lowly warrior cast trash. He had worshiped her but Branka was a lady that wasn't satisfied with just being adored, he guessed she always wanted an equal and ol Oghren 'rocks for brains' was hardly the number one candidate.

They had been arranged for marriage in their early teens long before Branka became Paragon, it had been a strategic alliance between his warrior house and Branka's smith caste. Such unions were common helping to strengthen economic and logistical ties within Orzammar. Branka however was anything but average and she hated her house for moving her like a piece in some game, it also meant that she hated being saddled with him without her consent. Sure he wooed her eventually…well maybe she just hated him less…he wasn't too sure on that. The point is that she didn't choose him.

Another swig was stolen from his flask, soon he would run out…heh he might even have to eat something in that case. Truthfully he got the feeling that Branka wouldn't know what to do with her unexpected guests; the fact that Tobin will probably described how they had disappeared during battle and reappeared high above the bridge would probably not endeared his companions to Branka. He got the feeling she would see them as a threat or competition for her operations here…well they were just not in the way she was thinking.

Something was also bothering him, the number of dwarves he had seen from the house was rather…low. The expedition she had taken into the deep roads numbers the entire house and several volunteers from others smith caste houses. All in all they had numbered around four hundred dwarves, true they weren't all fighters so there had to have been some casualties…but so far he had only seen Tobin's patrol and a few guards at key areas in the fortress. The question was where was everyone? Nah he was just reading far too into it, it's likely that most of the house was further in maybe studying the anvil or something.

Still the way things were it was unlikely that his she-devil of a wife would come visit him any time soon. She would probably just send Tobin and his merry band back to watch them to kick them out or something just to spite him. That had sadly left old Oghren on his own with little to do but look down bottomless pits and drink himself stupid.

Oh well he might as well have a look around Caridin's legendary fortress, when was he going to get another chance to do that?

* * *

In the deepest reaches of the fortress a small troop of dwarves were waiting at the entrance to a newly excavated tunnel. Their heavy shield-wall facing the mouth of the tunnel. Heavy pikes and axes stood ready to repel any attack from the tunnels. However it was not darkspawn they were ready for. The ancient traps Caridin had left behind had more than simple static defences. Nearly a hundred bodies of their brethren lay in front of their defences unburied and left to moulder, it was a gruesome sight. Many had been bisected or crushed into fine paste by the golems that would periodically attack.

Desperate screams echoed through the hollow passageway, the sounds carried to the waiting dwarves before petering out to a dreadful damning silence. Another failure then. A stout red headed female dwarf stood out from the rest in masterwork armour, her features were worn and darkened by stress. Her expression hadn't varied during the final death cries of the latest squad they had sent into the damned meat grinder Caridin left behind. Inside she forced herself not to feel, far too many had died already for them to turn back, their sacrifice was necessary to save the dwarven people. Anything less than success was extinction. She glanced sideways at her servants….family, even with all this they stayed by her side. Her use of the golem control rod had managed to stem tide of attacking golems, the master control commands she had secretly stolen from the shaperate the only thing that had stopped the massive constructs from wiping them completely away.

The ruthless logical side of her brain was in full control as she analysing the situation. It was grim, she only had around a hundred house members left, if that, soon they would run out of capable fighters leaving only the weak camp followers and her personal guards. Ultimately the defences were proving far too much for them to handle, the control rod was an impressive tool however it could only control one golem at a time. Defensively it was an excellent device but when attacking five or perhaps six golems its usefulness quickly diminished. She hadn't received a recent head count but she estimated she had at most fifty to sixty fighters left. She had no doubt in her mind that they would fight to the end for her goals, but she didn't want dead dwarves she wanted results. Soon she would run out of regular troops she would need to seek an alternative if she wished to succeed here.

"Put up the barricade up again, set up the watch Hespith!" Her voice called out harshly with little emotion to be heard. Her faithful captain saluted before barking out her orders. The warriors quickly started pushing the heavy steel barricades they had forged into place again, they were small defence against the golems when they came but it offered some protection.

A small female dwarf ran up to her carrying a small blanket, this one was called Laryn, an attentive body servant that had seemingly taken on the duty of taking care of the physical needs of the "Paragon". She hated that title, as if it was something great or noble, the last shreds of dignity that the dwarven people had placed upon the rag that was that title. None of it mattered only the survival of the dwarven people did, when she had first become paragon she had been an utter fool thinking she had made some great achievement. Only once she had been privy to the truths of Orzammar and its defences did she realise just how vulnerable the dwarves actually were. So what if she saved a few lives with her new fuel, it would not save her people or Orzammar. She had completed her own assessments and studies after that, ultimately it told her one thing. In the next hundred years either all dwarves would be sky dwellers or they would be dead. Darkspawn were adapting, the ancient defences devised by Caridin and perfected by his apprentices were losing their potency. That ancient rune work was the only reason that Orzammar's mundane defences hadn't been breached yet. The most dreaded kinds of darkspawn could devour the very stone, what did a wall or a balustrade matter to a creature like that?

In a way surfacers were very lucky, they had no limits on where they could go, her research into the stone sense of her people had yielded some interesting facts. Dwarves could naturally feel the northerly direction especially when underground, they also had an uncanny sense of direction making them unmatched scouts in the deep roads. Another talent was sniffing out lyrium directly, the most damning thing however was that dwarves did indeed lose their "stone sense" when they left the deep. It wouldn't happen immediately but it did over time. A year on the surface and a dwarf would lose that ability. Of course if it was lose the connection or die the answer was obvious. But Branka wasn't just fighting for the survival of her people…it was their culture. If they left for the surface the humans that so vastly outnumbered them would assimilate their culture. Within a few generations the "dwarven" people would be little more than short humans and even that would fade, inter-breeding was a certainty eventually.

Branka sat in her tent as Laryn busied herself with removing the armour that covered her form, slowly the armour was completely removed and placed on a nearby stand. Her thoughts were turning black, soon the usefulness of her house would end, and there was only one other resource in the deep roads of plenty…

Darkspawn.

She had read several manuscripts of the grey wardens on the creatures and their….reproduction processes…if you could call it that. The taint was a plague that corrupted and twisted everything it touched, if a victim was lucky it would simply kill them, if they were unlucky it would twist them into something more in line with whatever design the taint held. The taint always effected females and males differently, males would either die or become foot soldiers, fodder and slaves for the spawn. The arms and armour that they so often saw the darkspawn wielding or wearing were forged in the deeps by such ghouls. The females however suffered a far worse fate if they survived. Their forms would be corrupted into the grotesque Broodmothers, creatures capable of spawning in some cases hundreds of darkspawn every few days. It was the source of the darkspawn's seemingly unlimited numbers…it was also a fact that only the grey wardens were privy too…well at least on the surface. The dwarves knew more about this foe than was commonly known. When she became Paragon all of this knowledge and more frightened her into action.

The anvil of the void, Caridin's greatest work it wasn't just a mere blacksmiths tool, it was far more. Within it was held the power to smith souls into inanimate objects, a mystery of almost mythic proportions. Even Branka herself barely understood the concept but with its use many wonders were possibly, the golems which had defended Orzammar and pushed back the spawn were only the beginning. With it no dwarf would ever die a true death, imagine being able to consult with paragon Aeducan on matters of state or learn at the feet of the greatest smiths! Her people would never forget the secrets that had saved them from extinction. No longer would such a thing as "myth" exist. It could be a true conduit by which dwarves really could return to the stone after death with their voices able to echo endlessly across time to any ready ear.

Not only could the anvil reach a plane of artifice never delved before but it would allow for dwarves to shed their limited bodies for battle, the golems of the past were stone creations with limited offensive capability. True they were immensely strong and more than a match for any dwarf no matter their skill. They were however still limited, Branka could smith enchanted metal golems completely unstoppable against the darkspawn and far superior to the ones they had encountered so far. The only problem was making them live, for that she needed the secret of Caridin, she needed the Anvil of the Void.

It seemed she no longer had a choice, she needed the darkspawn, they were the only resource left to her….the question was how to use them. Pulling a horde down upon them would simply kill them all, they needed to control the darkspawn.

Branka's eyes landed on gentle Laryn as she cleaned the dark grime and blood splatters from her armour. Her brown eyes darkened with emotionless purpose. There was only one way to control darkspawn, and that was to control their creation. In that moment she realised what her only option was. She would take her most trusted personal guard into a secluded area of the fortress, she would bring Laryn and some of the other female camp follows and begin an experiment. She would order her guards to collect Darkspawn corpses. After that it was a simple case of force feeding the tainted flesh to them. Hopefully one would survive and become the creature she needed. With a bit of luck she would be able to come up with a way to control the darkspawn it produced.

Before her thoughts could continue the flap of her tent pealed itself back, a bleak faced squad leader entered and saluted her…Tobin she believed.

"My lady Paragon I apologies for interrupting your rest, but I have news of the front gates." His gaze never left the dirt under her feet, she was irritated and the interruption but it couldn't be helped. Her course of action had been decided, the details could be worked out later.

"Well? Don't just stand there…" She had very little patience for all of the formalities that her House insisted using with their interactions with her.

"My lady, there is an impending surge in Darkspawn activity, near as we can tell it's been caused by the new arrivals." At her questioning look he continued, "Your ex-husband Oghren has led two surfacers here…he is likely looking for you."

Branka frowned as she paced back and forth in the tent, she hadn't expected Oghren to follow her here. He must have followed the few signs she left behind, he did know her far too well. The surfacers confused her, what possible need could they have to be down this far into the deep roads. Certainly Oghren didn't have the money to buy mercenaries to help him get down here, nearly all of the house assets had been used to buy materials for the expedition.

"And the surfacers? What is their purpose in coming here?" The squad leader squirmed slightly under her gaze.

"Unknown my lady, they hadn't been in a fit state after the battle to question…well one of them wasn't the other was remarkably taciturn. They are resting back in the main dormitories of the old legion headquarters. Oghren mentioned something about them wishing to speak with you."

"I see…you mentioned a battle, did the darkspawn attack?" It wouldn't do to have the darkspawn come down on them just as their numbers had become so thinned.

"No…it was a battled between the two surfacers my lady. We only arrived near its end but I saw enough to discern that they are two mages of incredible power. Why they had been fighting each other only to seemingly cease hostilities only minutes later is again a mystery."

"Mages? I could maybe understand grey wardens but mages?" Branka stilled a moment…mages…perhaps her luck was changing, their powers could defeat Caridin traps…or at the very least support her warriors against the golems. She almost smiled, after all they wouldn't have come all this way if they didn't want something from her. Well everything had a price no?

Before Tobin could continue Branka barked at Laryn, "Armour! It seems the day isn't yet over." The young dwarf leapt to the task, she quickly began strapping on the armour one piece at a time.

"Is your patrol ready to return? I will meet these surfacers, it's possible they could be of use to me." Tobin seemed to puff himself up slightly as he proclaimed his readiness. He left the tent a moment later, likely to rally his men and get some supplies for their return to their watch on the gate.

Laryn fastened the last of the armour into place as Branka marched forward. Perhaps her desperate plans would be unnecessary, after all however necessary they might be they were still unsavoury to say the least…

* * *

"Oghren."

That clipped rough toned voice split his world like a thunder clap in his drink induced haze world. Looking up blearily from where he was half dozing against a crumbled wall he beheld Branka for the first time in nearly a year. Even as dazed as his senses were he still managed to pick out the troubling signs on her face. Dark eyes with deep bags hung like permanent fixtures on her face, her eyes were dark, darker than they had ever been in Orzammar. She had always been a brilliant yet troubled person, this much Oghren knew about his estranged wife.

He barely managed to make his aching mouth open and close to make sounds, he knew Branka would be here he just didn't _expect_ to see her somehow. It was irrational he knew but he couldn't help it.

"Branka…Are you a sight for sore eyes…"

Her eyes hardened instantly into freshly cut stones made from blackest obsidian.

"You can dispense with your pointless jabber Oghren, I'm here for one thing only. Where are your mage friends, I require their services."

After nearly a year and Branka had gotten worse, she had been jagged before…this was just absurd. Oghren could only sigh silently to himself, what did he expect some kind of teary eyed moment in reunification? Perhaps somewhere deep in his heart he was one big old optimist. Sodding genius's always so stoic and abrasive!

"That's a fine how'd you do Branka as usual, can't even spend two seconds saying hello to old Oghren?" The glare he received after that nearly hurt him physically, "All right all right! They're asleep in that ruined dormitory over there…can this wait a few hours they need some rest at least…"

He trailed off as Branka matched past him paying no heed to his words or requests. Oh well not much has changed then…at least she didn't kill him, that was something he supposed. Heh she might very well meet her match in Shirou's lady friend, not for one second did he believe she would tolerate Branka's bullying.

"…You don't want to be doin that Branka…"

A moment past as Oghren heard a distant crack of metal on flesh, the blurred form of Branka soaring through the air buzzed past his nose not inches away. Her chin was forced up in what seemed to be the aftermath of a punishing snap kick which had sent her flying. Her unplanned flight ended as she met the rank and file of her guards, armoured backside met dwarven face as the latter lost critically. Well at least her fall was broken by her guard's face, for once they were useful for something thought Oghren.

A flat faced Artoria emerged from the darkness of the dormitory, her eyes completely glazed over in the aftermath of sleep. Her dirtied dress still tarnished with the muck of the last several weeks of the trek. Even so she still made for a striking figure through all of the grime. Slowly awareness drew into her eyes as she took in her potential enemies, silently she summoned forth the same invisible sword he had seen her wield several times before.

Branka took several seconds to even recover enough wherewithal to scowl at her rather abrupt treatment. The two remaining conscious guards had already drawn weapons and settled in front of their Paragon hoping to offer some protection. They knew fine well what this surfacer was capable of, should she choose to they doubted they could offer even minimal resistance.

"You…Why did you invade our place of rest so brazenly!" The hard stoic tone of Artoria was regal and stately in its demand, even half asleep she still managed to sound so commanding. Oghren really did wonder who this woman was exactly, her stature spoke of a young wisp of a woman yet her battle expertise and power shouted to the heavens of a heroic prowess utterly unseen in this world.

Branka gritted her teeth with one eye closed in pain as she was helped back to her feet, the other two guards continued to languish in unconsciousness behind her.

"Damn you mage, how did you move so fast?" Branka's expression slowly transformed from furious into a maddened joyous grin, "To catch me unaware so easily…that power…yes. You could slip past the defences…or even destroy them!" The maddened grin seemed to stretch to an inhuman level much to Oghren's own unease. If Artoria was phased by Branka's little display she betrayed no hint of it through her stoic mask, to her this was still a potential battle, what did it matter if one of her enemies was currently fantasising about getting booted in the face.

"You still haven't named yourself dwarf…" Oghren could tell Artoria was beginning to lose patience with the situation.

"Paragon smith Branka…I hear you have come looking for me, I don't care what your reasons are or what pathetic boon you are after. Whatever it is it has but one price for you, smash Caridin's defences of the Anvil and this boon shall be yours!" Branka's eyes were wide with a terribly focus on the still ready swordswoman before her. Artoria's grip only tighter on her invisible weapon, the small oscillations of wind in the general area of the weapon started getting aggravated. The green eyes tightened with focus on the seemingly crazed Paragon. This was the woman they had searched so far and wide for?

* * *

Shirou half stumbled out through the door way, prana exhaustion and just plain fatigue threatening to send him back to sleep even on his feet. He had been woken by the rapid movements of his bed partner and the clatter of steel clanking into flesh at high speed. Clutching the door frame as he blearily focused his eyes on the scene before him. He could vaguely recognise Artoria standing defensively in front of the ruined dormitory they had used for their impromptu nap, a wind sheathed Excalibur was once again in her hands ready to attack of protect. Beyond her were six dwarves, one he recognised has Oghren, his scraggly red almost orange mane of hair hard to forget. Four others seemed to be guards dressed up in heavy armour with thick shields, the last dwarf was rather stranger. Her expression was twisted into some sort of caricature of glee and dark purpose, her eyes almost frightfully focused even to Shirou in his sleep induced daze.

It was but a moment before Artoria took notice of him, her green eyes glancing back at him in a mixture of concern and slight anger, no doubt she was annoyed that his weakened state was a prospective soft target in this potential battle. Even now after all they had been through she still retained that hint of Servant-like attitude to dangerous situations, especially if he was in no position to defend himself.

"Shirou…please stay inside, I can handle this." Her voice was hard and commanding, Shirou almost took a step back at the tone. It was no surprise to him she was used to calling out commands on the battlefield and she was used to them being followed. Too bad Shirou had always had a bit of a hard head. He force himself to focus on the situation at hand.

"Artoria what happened, who is this?" His voice sounded tired even to his own ears. He forced his eyes fully open, in the gloom of the fortress there was thankfully no glare to punish the act.

"…" She half glared at him out of the corner of her eye before turning a more fearsome expression on the person before her, "This is Branka, the one we came so far for…she is…disagreeable."

Considering Artoria's stance and frown that was the understatement of the century, she would never take such a provocative posture unless her instincts were screaming at her. Shirou pulled his focus together as he observed the dwarf paragon they had come so far for.

The most striking thing about Branka was not her impressive armour or intractable aura of dominance, no it was her eyes, they were the darkest brown carrying a pitiless glint which held hints of madness. There was one thing Shirou could tell nearly right off. This was going to be a _lot_ of trouble.

"Well, if you won't negotiate then perhaps he will…what say you mage, break Caridin's defences and I will grant any boon you desire. Do not do as I say and you will leave empty handed." The perfect poker face nearly had Shirou stumped for a moment, it was obvious that she was desperate by evidence of her actions but for the life of him she certainly gave nothing away in tone or body language. Shirou knew he was in no position to decide anything at the moment with his tired brain, but he got the impression she wasn't willing to let Artoria or himself put off this decision after gathering more information. If he decided no most likely she would kick them out into the mess of darkspawn outside. If he said yes he would be roping Artoria into something she obviously wanted little part in.

Then again they needed some manner of token from Branka to get the kings attention regardless or they should just abandon the whole idea now. In hind sight this entire venture was a massive mistake, the pay off just wasn't anywhere near equal. The amount of trouble they had just getting here was bordering on the absurd. They should have ventured to King Cailen and asked for his help with funding, the more he thought about it the more he believed the hero besotted King would be all for it. He could only sigh at his own stupidity, it took himself and Artoria nearly dying or worse to figure that out?

"Paragon Branka, we need a day to decide and recover…would that be acceptable to you?" Even with Branka's strong front he felt to the need to test her bluff.

"Hmph, a day no more or less, also if you decide against my offer do be aware that I will not be sparing any of my supplies for your return journey." It seemed Branka had at least partially seen through him. Before he got into this they needed to know what was going on, not to mention he needed to be able to stand without feeling like he was about to die. As Branka turned to leave Shirou staggered close to Oghren so much so that the red haired dwarf steadied him with a hand.

"Oghren, follow her find out everything that you can, I'm just about at my limit right now…"

"Don't worry Branka and me go way back she'll tell old Oghren all her secrets eventually heh!" The dwarf smacked him in the arm and turned to follow Branka jogging to keep pace with the Paragon's stride.

Artoria slowly relaxed as Excalibur streamed away in small waves of wind, she seemed to sag slightly as the tension left her body. Even if she didn't say it or look it she was tired as well, perhaps not magically like him but certainly mentally exhausted.

"I take it you're not happy…" Shirou could feel the silent disapproval rolling from her in waves. Her form froze for a moment before her armour faded away into motes of light, she turned to him her expression set in a mask of neutrality.

"…This was a mistake from the beginning, we should have followed Illya's suggestion. We were fools to jump head first into this venture." Artoria sat on the stone bench, her back straight as she stared him in the eye, "This woman Branka has not an ounce of honour or feeling in her body. Her eyes view the people around her as disposable resources not the friends and family they actually are. She cared not what our plight was only that we could do something for her."

Shirou lurched into a seat next to her his body already giving into fatigue now that the initial danger was over. He could only agree with his partner, this was a mess and a terrible idea from the beginning. His head bowed in weakness and shame.

"I know…it was a mistake, I should have thought things through instead of recklessly running forward…"

Artoria placed a hand on his own, she turned it over, her small fingers interlacing with his own. He glanced up questioning, her eyes were closed in a silent smile.

"Being a leader isn't always about being morally right or making the correct decision, the idea of manipulating the dwarves to our liking repulsed me as well. You when faced with many equally undesirable options chose the one that was arguably the hardest and most fraught with danger to yourself. Some would call it reckless, more still would call it foolish, but all of them would call it heroic."

"I learned from you that being a leader isn't always about making the right choice. It's about making that choice in the first place and living with the consequences."

She was right, just like she had to live with her own mistakes he had to live with his. After all what was a hero but a miraculously reckless person that survived all of their bad decisions and ideas?

**Authors note: **Hey all again I apologise for the wait, my new job &amp; flat is making things difficult and I've had no internet for….a whole month and more…jeez I'm getting withdrawal symptoms! Anyway I uploaded this using my phone.

Anyway this chapter had a lot in it, insight into Branka's dark head and Shirou had Artoria having a talk about how stupid he is. Rin would have been tearing her hair out in this situation for certain.

This chapter does feel like a filler but meh I couldn't bring myself to lengthen it without damaging the timing of it. It's more or less the same length as the last one.

With regards to Branka and her plan to use the darkspawn I'm not really sure if it was intentional or if she just took advantage of an accident. Regardless in this story Branka is one sick puppy, but of course partially redeemable in some way. She's like the ultimate example of the ends justify the means.

There may be more than a few mistakes as I just wanted to get this up, I will be editing it later.

Anyway hope you liked it.


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